Shafaq News- Beirut

The Lebanese government will spare no effort to halt the “destructive war,” Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed on Wednesday, as Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed announced that 18 thousand families have been recorded as displaced.

In a televised address to displaced residents, Salam said “the state bears responsibility for meeting the needs of those forced to flee their homes,” calling for treating displaced families with dignity and refraining from any mistreatment.”

He noted that since early Monday, the government, through the Disaster Management Unit at the Grand Serail, has been working to secure shelters and organize the emergency response. Salam acknowledged that “any shortcomings in recent days were unintentional,” adding that efforts are ongoing to address gaps and monitor the situation on an hourly basis.

Sayed confirmed that “20 martyrs fell today as a result of Israeli attacks,” adding that 18,000 families have been displaced from southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military carried out a series of intensive airstrikes across multiple areas in Lebanon, including Beirut’s southern suburbs and the city of Baalbek, alongside urgent evacuation warnings for dozens of towns and villages in the south, marking a continued military escalation for a second consecutive day. 

Lebanon’s Hezbollah announced that it had carried out drone strikes targeting two Israeli military facilities, one a naval base in Haifa and the other the Tel Hashomer base, located approximately 120 kilometers from the Lebanese border. In separate statements, the group said it conducted more than 16 operations all over the day, including which lead to casualties among Israeli Army soldiers.