Despite cease-fire call, Israel bombs 75 targets in Lebanon

JERUSALEM

Despite an international call for a temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Israeli army said Thursday that it struck some 75 targets in Lebanon overnight.

A military statement said warplanes hit what it called Hezbollah weapons depots, rocket launchers, and other military infrastructure and buildings used by members of the Lebanese group.

The army vowed that it would continue airstrikes in Lebanon to destroy what it called Hezbollah capabilities.

The attacks came despite a call late Wednesday by the US, EU, and nine other nations for Israel and Hezbollah to agree to a 21-day cease-fire to "provide space for diplomacy."

Israel has pounded several areas in Lebanon since Monday morning amid an escalation in cross-border warfare with Hezbollah.

At least 640 people have since been killed and over 2,500 others injured, according to figures released by the Health Ministry.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border clashes since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,500 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.

The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of spreading the Gaza conflict regionally.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar