🇱🇧 **Lebanon's skies are still ablaze**, but whispers of peace are growing louder. On Thursday, diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire showed promising signs, even as Israel continued its heavy air strikes on Lebanese soil.
🔥 **For the third day in a row**, Israel pounded the southern suburbs of Beirut, areas controlled by Hezbollah. The intensity didn't stop there. In Baalbek, a city in eastern Lebanon, at least 20 people lost their lives due to Israeli strikes. Further south, 11 more were reported dead from aerial bombardments, according to authorities and the National News Agency.
😢 **The human toll is heartbreaking**. Since October 7, 2023, the Lebanese Health Ministry reports that Israeli attacks have claimed at least 3,386 lives. Over the past year, Hezbollah attacks have also resulted in around 100 deaths of civilians and soldiers in northern Israel, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and southern Lebanon, according to Israeli sources.
💔 **The cost isn't just human**. A recent World Bank report estimates that the conflict has caused a staggering $8.5 billion in physical damage and economic losses in Lebanon—a heavy burden for a nation still reeling from a financial collapse five years ago.
🕊️ **But there's a glimmer of hope**! In a positive turn, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon submitted a draft truce proposal to Lebanon's parliament speaker, Nabih Berri. Two senior Lebanese political sources told Reuters that this marks Washington's first written proposal in weeks aimed at halting the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
✨ **Could this be the light at the end of the tunnel?** While details are scarce, the very act of engaging in dialogue is a step forward. The youth of Lebanon and the region yearn for peace and stability. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that diplomacy prevails over conflict. 🤞
Reference(s):
Lebanese ceasefire efforts inch ahead as Israel continues air strikes
cgtn.com
