On October 24, various reports emerged detailing the intensifying conflict between Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). According to sources, both sides engaged in heavy strikes on October 23. Notably, Al Jazeera reported that Israel carried out an unanticipated attack on Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Furthermore, explosions were reported in Damascus, Syria, the following day, with the Syrian Defense Ministry stating that Israeli strikes had resulted in at least eight casualties.
In Damascus, significant explosions were heard, prompting a statement from the Syrian Defense Ministry, which confirmed that Israel targeted central Damascus and a military base near Homs. This attack led to the death of one soldier and left seven others injured.
UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, issued a warning that the hostilities in Gaza and Lebanon could spread to neighboring regions.
On October 23, Hezbollah announced it launched several rockets towards Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest city, claiming to have directly hit their intended targets, specifically a military manufacturing facility in the outskirts of the city. The IDF reported that by late on the same day, Hezbollah had fired a total of 135 rockets into Israeli territory. Al Jazeera noted that in recent days, Hezbollah typically launches dozens of rockets daily, with cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa increasingly becoming targets.
Additionally, Lebanese state television reported that Israel conducted at least ten airstrikes on the southern suburb of Beirut during the afternoon and evening of October 23. One of the strikes targeted the office building of Lebanon’s “Al-Manar” television station, which had been evacuated prior to the bombing. This building is located near the Iranian embassy in Lebanon. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health confirmed that the strikes resulted in one death and five injuries.
Al Jazeera described this as one of the most violent nights in Beirut since the escalation of hostilities with Hezbollah began on September 23.
An IDF Arabic spokesperson issued an evacuation order for residents in southern Beirut via social media on the evening of October 23, yet reports indicated that no prior warnings were given before the first three attacks that day.
On the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. According to a briefing from the White House, their discussions focused on efforts to end conflicts in the Middle East and to promote peace and security through diplomatic means in the ongoing Lebanon-Israel conflict.
