• Friday, 22 November 2024

Israel hits southern suburbs of Beirut with airstrikes

Israel hits southern suburbs of Beirut with airstrikes

Beirut, 14 November 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The Israeli military attacked the southern suburbs of Beirut, seen as a stronghold of Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, with at least four airstrikes on Thursday, according to a dpa reporter who witnessed them.

Clouds of black smoke rose into the sky after the explosions, according to the reporter.

State news agency NNA said there were at least six strikes.

After an evacuation order was issued by the Israeli military ahead of the strikes, some residents fired shots into the air to warn others of the impending attacks, leading many to flee.

"You are in the vicinity of Hezbollah facilities and interests," an Israeli military spokesman said in its warning to locals.

Residents were told to move at least 500 metres away from buildings marked in red on an Israeli map issued by the military.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it attacked weapons depots and Hezbollah command centres from the air in the Dahiya neighbourhood.

More than 3,300 people have been killed and 14,300 injured in Israel's war on Hezbollah, according to Lebanese officials.

Meanwhile in Israel, more than 70 people have been killed in the north of the country by fire from Lebanon since the conflict began, most of them civilians, according to officials.

Photo: MIA