Strikes reportedly hit Beirut’s southern suburbs early on Wednesday morning, marking the first time in days that the area has been targeted. Witnesses from Reuters reported hearing a blast and observing a plume of smoke, with black smoke billowing from between buildings in Haret Hreik following the strike, according to AFP, which also noted a second strike shortly thereafter.
These strikes occurred after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) urged residents to evacuate a specific building in the southern suburbs, warning via a post on the social media platform X that they intended to target Hezbollah locations in the area soon.
Residents received a statement in Arabic which warned: “You are located near facilities and interests affiliated with Hezbollah, which the IDF will work against in the near future.” The Israeli military has been actively bombing southern Beirut for several weeks, also conducting lethal strikes in other parts of the capital and across Lebanon.
Since Israel intensified its bombing campaign last month, at least 1,356 people are reported to have been killed in Lebanon, according to AFP estimates based on figures provided by the Lebanese health ministry, though the true number may be higher.
The Israeli military has indicated in a recent tweet that their recent operations targeted an underground Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the Dahiyeh area of southern Beirut.
In addition, a significant development has emerged regarding US-Israel relations, as the Biden administration communicated concerns to Israel, indicating potential repercussions regarding access to US weapons funding if Israel does not enhance the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza within a specified timeframe.
In the broader context, Iran’s foreign minister is on a diplomatic tour of Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey as Tehran seeks to establish partnerships aimed at combating violence and aggression in the region. Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s acting leadership has vowed to intensify military efforts against Israeli targets.
In the ongoing conflict, at least 50 Palestinians were killed in Gaza during recent airstrikes, and additional Israeli military actions reportedly targeted northern Lebanon, with statements from UN officials highlighting the urgent humanitarian needs stemming from the conflict.
