Israeli strikes hit south Beirut after military warning
By : AFP
Update: 2024-11-25 10:59 GMT
Beirut: Renewed Israeli strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Monday, state media reported and AFPTV images showed, after an Israeli army evacuation warning and heavy raids on the Hezbollah bastion the previous night.
The official National News Agency reported "three strikes on the vicinity of Haret Hreik", as AFPTV images showed heavy smoke rising from the southern suburbs.
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee on social media platform X had earlier said the military would target Hezbollah "facilities and interests" in the southern suburbs, pinpointing several locations.
The Israeli military later said the air force "conducted intelligence-based strikes on several Hezbollah command centres" in the southern suburbs.
The strikes came after a weekend of heavy raids on south Beirut and its outskirts, despite a ceasefire call from top EU diplomat Josep Borrell, who visited Lebanon on Sunday.
A deadly strike early Saturday on central Beirut's densely populated Basta neighbourhood killed at least 29 people, according to the health ministry.
The Israeli army said Monday it had struck a Hezbollah command centre in Basta.
Lebanon's education ministry suspended classes Monday for schools, technical institutes and private higher education institutions in Beirut and a number of surrounding areas, citing "the current dangerous conditions".
Hezbollah on Sunday claimed 50 attacks on Israeli troops, military positions and towns across the border and in south Lebanon, while the Israeli army reported 250 projectiles launched into Israeli territory.
It marks one of the highest number of attacks Hezbollah has claimed in a single day since it initiated cross-border clashes with the Israeli army in October last year over the Gaza war.
On September 23, Israel intensified its air campaign in Lebanon, mainly targeting Hezbollah bastions in the south and east and in south Beirut, later sending ground troops across the border.
Israeli ground forces have entered several south Lebanon villages and towns near the border, including Khiam, where the NNA on Monday reported fierce clashes with Hezbollah fighters.
The conflict has killed at least 3,754 people in Lebanon since October 2023, according to the health ministry, most of them since September.
On the Israeli side, authorities say at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians have been killed.