An Israeli airstrike on the northern Lebanese town of Aitou has killed more than 20 people, marking a significant escalation in Israel’s multifront war. In response, Hezbollah fired rockets at Tel Aviv, further intensifying the conflict. The airstrike hit a small apartment building in the Maronite Christian town, located near Tripoli, and left 21 people dead, according to the Lebanese Red Cross.
Aitou, far from Hezbollah’s strongholds in southern and eastern Lebanon, had been home to displaced families fleeing the conflict. Lebanese media showed the aftermath, with damaged buildings, destroyed vehicles, and residents searching for survivors in the rubble.
The recent airstrike is part of Israel's broader military campaign across multiple fronts, including Gaza, where civilian casualties continue to rise. In the last 24 hours, Israeli bombings in Gaza killed four people at a hospital courtyard, 20 more at a school used as a shelter, and five children in a drone strike, according to local health officials.
Human rights organizations have condemned Israel's actions, accusing the military of trying to forcibly displace the remaining population of northern Gaza. Israel, meanwhile, is investigating the reports of civilian casualties.
Hezbollah’s response to the Aitou airstrike came swiftly, with rockets fired toward Israel’s central and northern regions. While Israel’s air defense systems intercepted the rockets, the escalation reflects Hezbollah’s growing involvement in the conflict. On Sunday, Hezbollah had already carried out a deadly drone attack on an Israeli military base, killing four soldiers and wounding seven others.
Israel has also faced international criticism for several attacks on UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, which have injured five peacekeepers. On Monday, the governments of Italy, the UK, France, and Germany issued a joint statement condemning Israel's attacks on UN personnel, calling them violations of international law. The UN Security Council has also expressed concern, urging all parties to respect the safety of peacekeeping forces.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied claims that Israeli forces intentionally targeted peacekeepers, insisting that Hezbollah was using UN positions as cover for their operations. Despite Israel’s calls for UN peacekeepers to withdraw from conflict zones near the border, the UN’s peacekeeping chief, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, confirmed that peacekeepers would remain at their posts.
In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes have continued relentlessly, especially in the Jabaliya district, where more than 400,000 people remain trapped by the fighting. The UN World Food Programme has raised alarms about the looming risk of famine, as Israel has blocked food supplies to northern Gaza. Rights groups in Israel and Palestine have criticized what they call Israel’s “starve or surrender” tactics, urging the international community to intervene.
As the violence escalates on multiple fronts, the prospect of ceasefire talks appears bleak. Israeli officials reportedly favor a strategy of gradual annexation of parts of Gaza over stalled negotiations, signaling that the conflict could continue for the foreseeable future.
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