Israel launches fresh strikes on Beirut as regional tensions soar
Air strikes rock Lebanese capital while Hezbollah launches missiles and drones into Israel, opening a dangerous new front amid fallout from US-Israel attacks on Iran.
Israeli fighter jets launched fresh air strikes on southern Beirut on Wednesday, as cross-border fighting with Hezbollah intensified and the regional conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran continued to spread.
Warplanes carried out at least three strikes within an hour on Beirut’s southern suburbs, targeting buildings in Haret Hreik, Hadath and the Liqi area, according to reporters on the ground.
Thick smoke rose above the neighbourhoods as Israeli aircraft continued flying overhead. Casualty figures were not immediately available.
Before the strikes, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings on X, urging residents to leave areas near what Israel described as Hezbollah infrastructure. The army also ordered civilians in southern Lebanon to move north of the Litani River ahead of further attacks.
Hezbollah hits back
The escalation follows days of intensifying hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
On Wednesday, Hezbollah said it carried out multiple missile and drone attacks on Israeli military sites in central and northern Israel.
The group said it targeted the Dado base, headquarters of Israel’s Northern Command near Safed, with missiles, and struck the Giv’a drone control base east of Safed with a precision-guided projectile. It also claimed that a swarm of drones hit the headquarters of Israel Aerospace Industries in central Israel, and that rockets were fired at Israeli forces in the Metula area.
Hezbollah said the attacks were in response to what it described as “criminal Israeli aggression” against Lebanese cities and towns, including Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The latest round of violence erupted earlier this week after Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at northern Israel, citing ongoing Israeli air strikes and the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Land and air incursion by Israel
Israel responded with a wave of air strikes that Lebanese authorities say killed at least 40 people and injured nearly 250 others. The Israeli military also launched a ground invasion into southern Lebanon.
Israel maintains strict censorship on reporting casualties from missiles launched by Iran and Hezbollah or intercepted by its air defences, and prohibits the circulation of related footage.
The renewed fighting adds to an already devastating conflict. Since October 2023, Israel’s offensive in Lebanon has killed more than 4,000 people and wounded about 17,000, according to Lebanese figures, with the war expanding into full-scale hostilities in September 2024.