Crisis in the Middle East: Israel strikes Beirut, 40 dead in the context of an escalation of the conflict with Hezbollah | N18G

Israeli airstrikes intensified on Wednesday in Beirut and Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, killing at least 40 people near Baalbek, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. New strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensified. Israeli forces also carried out ground incursions into southern Lebanon, and ordered evacuations in parts of Beirut. This upsurge in violence marks a sharp escalation in a year-old conflict running parallel to the war in Gaza. U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to negotiate a 60-day ceasefire failed last week, shortly before Donald Trump’s re-election in the United States.