On Saturday, Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of Hezbollah movement, for the first time in three days. These strikes were preceded by Israeli calls for residents of the area to evacuate their homes.
Footage showed plumes of gray and black smoke rising above the targeted neighborhoods. The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported that “two enemy strikes” targeted a building in the Haret Hreik district.
Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army spokesman for Arabic-speaking audiences, issued an urgent warning to residents of the southern suburbs, particularly in the Haret Hreik neighborhood, stating: “You live near facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah,” adding that the Israeli army “will carry out operations in the near future” against these targets.
Similar evacuation calls were issued for two other neighborhoods, Choueifat, which was hit by a strike, and Bourj al-Barajneh.
These airstrikes come at a time when a barrage of projectiles from Lebanon fell on northern Israel this morning, and a drone was launched towards the private residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to AFP statistics based on official data, at least 1,418 people have been killed in Lebanon since the start of intensive Israeli bombardment against Hezbollah on September 23.
The UN has counted about 700,000 displaced people, including a large portion of the residents from the southern suburbs.
This escalation comes amid continued tension on the Lebanese-Israeli border, raising fears of a wider conflict in the region.