Israel Follows Up With Another Bombardment

Israeli airstrikes hit areas near Beirut on Saturday evening, hours after Hezbollah confirmed that its longtime leader was killed in heavy bombing overnight near Lebanon's capital. Allies of Hezbollah urged quick retaliation for the death of Hassan Nasrallah, and the Middle East prepared for further escalation. "We are at what appears to be a historic turning point," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The State Department ordered certain Americans out of Beirut. Developments involved:

• US response: President Biden said Saturday that Nasrallah's death "is a measure of justice for his many victims," including Americans, the New York Times reports. Nevertheless, Biden urged a diplomatic resolution to the crisis and an end to the fighting "for the broader Middle East region to gain stability."
• International reaction: France called for an immediate end to the strikes on Lebanon and urged Hezbollah and its ally Iran to "refrain from any action likely to lead to further destabilization," per the Washington Post. Saying "this cycle of violence must stop now," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asked that the combatants "step back from the brink." Iran's supreme leader called on Muslims to rise against Israel but didn't specifically commit to retaliation.
• Americans in Lebanon: The State Department ordered the families of US diplomats not employed by the embassy in Beirut to leave the country, while authorizing the departure of those who are. Nonessential employees can leave, as well. The agency, which already had advised Americans to consider leaving, reiterated its warning against all travel to Lebanon.
• In Lebanon: The Health Ministry reported that 33 people were killed and 195 wounded on Saturday in the attacks. Around Beirut, hundreds of families slept in public squares, on beaches, or in cars. Schools serving as shelters were full, per the AP. A Syrian refugee's family fled Beirut during the attack overnight and was sleeping on a beach with hundreds of other people. "We only want a place where our children won't be afraid," Fatima Chahine said. "We fled from the war in Syria in 2011 because of the children and we came here, and now the same thing is happening again."

• In Israel: Sirens sounded Saturday night in areas of Jerusalem, in the West Bank, and in northern Israel after the military said rockets had been launched from Lebanon. A ground invasion of Lebanon remains a possibility, and Israeli troops were massing in the north, near the border. Morale has been high, per the Post. Troops and residents of the area said they're ready to fight in whatever way their leaders decide on.

(More Israel-Hamas war stories.)