Israel has made clear that it doesn't see the newly declared US-Iran ceasefire as applying to its war in Lebanon, where it is still trying to destroy Hezbollah. The White House too has made its stance clear that it doesn't apply, but President Trump has stated his intent to take care of a Lebanon ceasefire separately.
The military has unleashed hell on Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa valley overnight and through Wednesday - with Beirut suffering some of the worst aerial bombardments of the war.
via Associated PressPakistan, however, has said that the ceasefire does extend to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. But the Israeli military (IDF) is as usual letting the bombs do the talking, and is largely ignoring the diplomatic side of things.
Israel on Wednesday reportedly struck over 100 Hezbollah (and civilian) targets within a mere 10 minutes across Beirut, the south of the country, and Bekaa.
Viral images and videos have shown massive smoke plumes lingering above the densely populated Lebanese capital. The surprise attack on busy commercial locations unleashed panic in the streets - and a full casualty accounting has not been immediately forthcoming .
Below is an outline of some of the earlier reported attacks, via Al Jazeera:
An air raid on a funeral in the the east Lebanon village of Shmestar killed at least 10 people.
Six people were killed in one attack in Saida.
Three people were killed in a strike in western Beirut.
Three girls were killed in the coastal town of Adloun.
At least two were killed in Douris in the Bekaa Valley.
Casualties were reported in Kayfoun in Mount Lebanon.
Here's how the same regional outlet described it, noting that Lebanese TV has said the attacks have claimed "many lives": "Israel has launched a surprise attack with dozens of air strikes across Lebanon, one of the largest military assaults in the history of the conflict." The report stated, "Air raids targeted residential buildings, mosques, vehicles and cemeteries across the country."
Lebanon’s Minister of Social Affairs, Haneed Sayed, told the Associated Press that the wide-ranging strikes mark a "very dangerous turning point."
She described: "These hits are now at the heart of Beirut… Half of the sheltered (internally displaced persons) are in Beirut in this area," she said, adding that she had just driven by the areas hit."
Hezbollah did not immediately join the Iran war until weeks in following the late February start of Trump's Operation Epic Fury. However, by the middle it began sending a significant amount of rockets on northern Israel.
Importantly, President Trump has on Wednesday told PBS that his view is Lebanon is not part of the Iran ceasefire deal "because of Hezbollah" - but "that will get taken care of too". He called what's happening in Lebanon "a separate skirmish".
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Russia Ferries 175 Russian Nuclear Scientists Out Of Iran Via Land Border With Armenia
Russia has announced that it has successfully evacuated a last main group of Russian workers from Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which has been hit several times by US-Israeli strikes throughout the over one-month long war.
A group of 175 Russian employees of Rosatom Atomic Energy Corporation were evacuated via land route through northern Iran, before taking a flight out of the Armenian capital of Yerevan to Moscow.
According to TASS, "Earlier, Alexey Likhachev, director general of Russia’s Rosatom Atomic Energy Corporation, said that evacuation buses left the Bushehr facility about 20 minutes after a US strike hit the area on Saturday, and headed for the Iran-Armenia border."
Moscow had requested that the US impose a ceasefire for the site while the Russian staff were evacuated. They were then driven to the Norduz-Agarak border crossing (a very long overland route). Already several rounds of Russians at Iran's nuclear facilities were taken out of the country.
Russia's foreign ministry thanked Armenian authorities "for their kind attitude and quick handling of exit procedures" for Rosatom personnel.
Apparently some key Russian personnel have agreed to stay at the facility. "Some of Rosatom’s personnel expressed readiness to continue working in Iran, Rosatom's Likhachev had said on Sunday. The first power unit of the Bushehr NPP remains operational, Rosatom has also said.
As for the requested local ceasefire for the site, it's unclear whether or not that was ever enacted. Israel has shown more of a penchant for hitting nuclear facilities in Iran of late.
Meanwhile, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has also urged "maximum restraint" during the conflict in order to prevent the risk of a nuclear accident.
Just like war in Ukraine has threatened nuclear power sites, so has the Iran conflict raised concerns over nuclear fallout and radiation - in the instance of a strike leading to major accident.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-ferries-175-russian-nuclear-scientists-out-iran-land-border-armenia
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Iran closes Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks, AP reports