Beirut: Lebanon’s state media reported Israeli airstrikes near the southern city of Tyre on Tuesday, shortly after Israel's military issued an evacuation warning. Video footage showed smoke rising after Israel warned residents of Al-Hawsh, just south of Tyre, to evacuate. Lebanon's National News Agency reported that "enemy aircraft launched a series of strikes" on the area.
This escalation comes after Lebanon's health ministry revised the death toll from an Israeli strike near a hospital in southern Beirut on Monday night, stating that 13 people, including a child, were killed. The previous estimate had been four. The strike, which took place near the Rafik Hariri Hospital, Lebanon’s largest public health facility, also left 57 people injured and flattened four buildings in the area, according to reports.
Rescuers were still searching for survivors under the rubble on Tuesday, as locals described hearing a cell phone ringing beneath the debris.
Monday night’s strike followed Israel's evacuation warnings and targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs. The Ouzai neighborhood, minutes away from the Jnah area, was hit for the first time in the conflict, sparking an exodus of residents. No warnings were issued for the densely populated area around Rafik Hariri Hospital, which has seen an influx of displaced people from southern Lebanon.
Lebanese authorities report that nearly a month of war between Israel and Hezbollah has claimed at least 1,489 lives in Lebanon, with more than a million people displaced, many of whom have fled to neighboring Syria. The ongoing conflict has heavily strained shelters and relief efforts.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel to push for a ceasefire, as diplomatic efforts to end the Gaza and Lebanon conflicts continue.
