Israeli airstrikes pound Beirut suburb, no sign of ceasefire

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -The Israeli military pounded Beirut's southern suburbs with airstrikes on Tuesday, mounting one of its heaviest daytime attacks yet on the Hezbollah-controlled area after the defence minister ruled out a ceasefire until Israeli goals were met.

Smoke billowed over Beirut as at least 10 blasts were heard across the city. The strikes followed an Israeli army warning identifying 12 sites in the southern suburbs and saying it would take action against them soon. The warning, posted on social media, told residents they were near Hezbollah facilities.

In northern Israel, people were forced to take shelter as attack drones were launched from Lebanon, the military said. One hit the yard of a kindergarten in a Haifa suburb, where the children had been rushed into a shelter, meaning none were hurt, rescue workers said. TV footage showed damage to the building.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in Beirut. Residents have largely fled the area since Israel began bombing it in September. Footage of one strike shared on social media showed two missiles slamming into a building of around 10 storeys, demolishing it and sending up clouds of debris.

Ignited by the Gaza war, the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah had been rumbling on for a year before Israel went on the offensive in September, pounding wide areas of Lebanon with airstrikes and sending troops into the south.

Israel has dealt Hezbollah heavy blows, killing many of its leaders including Hassan Nasrallah, flattening large areas of the southern suburbs, destroying border villages in the south, and striking more widely across Lebanon.

Meeting with Israel's general staff for the first time, Israel's newly appointed Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Monday there would be no ceasefire in Lebanon until Israel achieves its goals.

"Israel will not agree to any arrangement that does not guarantee Israel's right to enforce and prevent terrorism on its own, and meet the goals of the war in Lebanon - disarming Hezbollah and its withdrawal beyond the Litani River and returning the residents of the north safely to their homes," he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had said earlier on Monday there had been "a certain progress" in ceasefire talks, whilst adding the war was not yet over. The main challenge facing any ceasefire deal would be enforcement, he said.

Despite the blows it has suffered, Hezbollah has said it is ready for a long war against Israel.

'ALARMING' HUMAN COSTS

The Lebanese government, which includes Hezbollah, has repeatedly called for a ceasefire based on the full implementation of a U.N. Resolution that ended a war between the group and Israel in 2006.

The resolution calls for the area south of the Litani to be free of all weapons other than those of the Lebanese state. Lebanon and Israel have accused each other of violating the resolution.

Israel's offensive has driven more than 1 million people from their homes in Lebanon, sparking a humanitarian crisis.

Hezbollah rocket fire into northern Israel has forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate the area over the last year.

Imran Riza, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, said the conflict was imposing an alarming human cost in Lebanon, saying that airstrikes reportedly killed 23 people, including seven children, in a village in Mount Lebanon on Monday.

"On the same day, an airstrike in the city of Tyre killed five siblings from the same family, all of whom had special needs," he said in a statement.

Since hostilities erupted a year ago, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 3,243 people and injured 14,134, the Lebanese health ministry said. Its figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Hezbollah attacks have killed roughly 100 civilians and soldiers in northern Israel, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and southern Lebanon over the last year.

(Reporting by Laila Bassam, Riham Alkoussa in Beirut, Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem, Tala Ramadan and Clauda Tanios in Dubai; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Angus MacSwan)