Israel conducted a wave of air strikes on the south of Lebanon’s capital Beirut on Friday that it said targeted Hezbollah’s headquarters, sending huge clouds of smoke soaring above the densely populated neighbourhood.
The strikes were heard across the Mediterranean city, and sparked panic in the residential area that has been the Iran-backed movement’s main bastion for decades.
They were by far the fiercest strikes to hit Beirut since Israel shifted its focus from the war in Gaza to Lebanon this week, pounding Hezbollah strongholds around the country and killing hundreds of people.
Hezbollah started fighting Israeli troops along the Lebanon border a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas staged its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed in an address to world leaders on Friday that there would be no-let up in the battle against Hezbollah until Israel’s northern border was secured.
