Israel has launched a series of bombardments on Lebanon's capital Beirut as it vows to eliminate the leadership of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, prompting fears of all-out war in the region.
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00:00Plumes of smoke rise over Lebanon's capital, Beirut, as Israeli missiles rain down, the
00:07most intense bombardment here in nearly 20 years.
00:21Israel says it is targeting the headquarters and weapons stores of Islamist militant group
00:26Hezbollah. It's promised to dismantle the group.
00:29Hezbollah exploits and endangers Lebanese civilians, using them as a human shield for
00:37its weapons. We will not allow such a threat to be directed at Israeli civilians, global
00:46shipping routes and vital facilities which any other sovereign state would never permit.
00:53Hezbollah denies that there are any weapons in the buildings targeted by Israel, and this
00:58latest bombing campaign will push up a death toll here that is already in the hundreds
01:03in the last week. Tens of thousands have been displaced.
01:07There is an Israeli aggression against Lebanon of unprecedented magnitude, and this aggression
01:16is in full swing. The attacking military of the occupying power is using its superior
01:27air power and its state-of-the-art military technology to commit war crimes and crimes
01:36against humanity on a daily basis.
01:38Hezbollah, backed by Iran and with links to Hamas in Gaza, also launched several rockets
01:44into northern Israel overnight. Clashes with Hezbollah have been increasing alongside Israel's
01:49war against Hamas in Gaza, but escalation this week has put the Middle East on the precipice
01:55of all-out war, with Israel resisting international calls for a ceasefire.
02:00War in Lebanon could lead to further escalation involving outside powers. I fully support
02:09the proposal for a temporary ceasefire, allowing for the delivery of humanitarian relief and
02:16paving the way for the resumption of serious negotiations for a durable peace across the
02:22blue line. We need a ceasefire now. We cannot afford endless negotiations as we have on
02:32Gaza. We must avoid a regional war at all costs.
02:38It's been nearly a year since a brazen attack on Israel by Hamas plunged this volatile region
02:45into a fresh round of violence. Israel's military response in Gaza has left more than 40,000
02:50Palestinians dead, according to health authorities there. And this latest dramatic escalation
02:56across Israel's northern border puts peace in the region even further out of reach.
03:02Scott Huang and Rick Lowatt for Taiwan Plus.