Israel conducted new strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs on Wednesday, with the Israeli army stating it was targeting the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. Lebanon was drawn into the wider regional conflict last week after Hezbollah attacked Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Despite a 2024 ceasefire, Israel has maintained strikes across Lebanon and deployed ground troops to border areas.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported a "violent raid" on Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold. Live footage showed smoke rising from strike locations. The Israeli military confirmed it "has begun strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure" in the area.
Hezbollah also reported engaging Israeli troops near southern border towns and launching rockets at Israel, including a missile defense site south of Haifa. The group stated it was clashing with Israeli forces near Aitaroun. Lebanese authorities have registered hundreds of thousands of displaced people, with many in shelters.
Earlier, Israeli raids on the southern town of Qana killed five people and wounded five others. In Hennawiyeh, an initial strike wounded two people, who were then killed along with a rescuer in a subsequent attack.