Intense Israeli attacks cause carnage in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut

Israel has conducted multiple attacks against Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut, and battles have raged in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah claimed 50 attacks on Israeli targets in one day.

The Israeli military said Hezbollah fired 250 projectiles into Israel on Sunday, part of a wave of attacks the armed group said have targeted areas that include the Ashdod naval base in southern Israel and military sites near Tel Aviv.

The Israeli army warned in a statement on X that it would target Hezbollah “facilities and interests” in the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs.

The military later said the air force on Monday had “conducted intelligence-based strikes on several Hezbollah command centres” in the area.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported “three strikes on the vicinity of Haret Hreik” in Beirut’s southern suburbs, and AFPTV images showed thick smoke rising from the area.

The attacks followed heavy raids on the area the night before.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education suspended classes on Monday for schools, technical institutes and private higher education institutions in Beirut and a number of surrounding areas, citing “the current dangerous conditions”.

The escalation came as the United States and the European Union pushed for a truce in a war Lebanon said has killed at least 3,754 people since October 2023, most of them in the past two months.