The sounds of explosions echoed across Beirut tonight as Israeli airstrikes pounded southern Lebanon, setting hills ablaze and sending plumes of smoke into the night sky. Hezbollah has formally rejected a US-brokered ceasefire deal, calling it a ‘surrender document’, and vowed to continue its rocket fire into northern Israel. British peacekeepers with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have been placed on high alert, ordered to bunker down as the risk of ground incursions grows.
The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed that no British personnel have been harmed but said the situation remains ‘dangerously volatile’. For families in the border villages of Kfar Kila and Odaisseh, this is the most intense bombardment since the 2006 war. They spent the night in basements, huddled with children, as warplanes roared overhead.
The price of bread has doubled in some parts of Beirut. People are stockpiling rice and canned goods. In the south, entire olive groves are charred.
The new ceasefire proposal, which had been pushed by US envoy Amos Hochstein, collapsed after Hezbollah demanded a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the disputed Shebaa Farms. The group’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, said in a televised address: ‘We will not trade our rifles for a piece of paper that guarantees nothing.’ Downing Street said it was ‘deeply concerned’ and urged both sides to de-escalate.
But on the ground, the only sound is the thud of bombs. For now, British peacekeepers are caught in the middle. They are not here to fight, but to monitor.
And tonight, they are watching a war unfold from their armoured vehicles.
