Strike hits south Beirut after Israeli evacuation call

Beirut — A strike hit the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Saturday, AFPTV footage showed, shortly after the Israeli army issued a new call to evacuate the area.

Since Tuesday, Israel has carried out several strikes on the city's southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah.

AFPTV video showed three plumes of smoke rising over the buildings in the area on Saturday morning.

Shortly before the attack, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X a call for residents of the Haret Hreik suburb to evacuate.

"You are close to facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah, against which the Israeli military will be acting with force in the near future," the post said in Arabic, identifying specific buildings and telling residents to move at least 500 meters away.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said "the enemy" carried out three air raids, including one near Haret Hreik.

"The first strike near Haret Hreik destroyed buildings and caused damage in the area," it said.

Repeated Israeli air strikes on south Beirut have led to a mass exodus of civilians from the area, although some return during the day to check on their homes and businesses.

In southern Lebanon, Israel carried out several strikes on Friday night and early Saturday, according to NNA.

Overnight, Hezbollah also claimed two rocket attacks targeting the headquarters of an infantry battalion in northern Israel.

Since September 23, Israel has ramped up its air campaign in Lebanon, later sending in ground troops following almost a year of limited, cross-border exchanges begun by Hezbollah over the Gaza war.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and captured about 250 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza. Israel says it believes Hamas is still holding 101 hostages, including 35 the military says are dead.

Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 people, according to the territory's health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.

Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been designated as terror groups by the United States, the U.K. and other Western countries.

Lebanese authorities say that more than 3,440 people have been killed since October last year, when Hezbollah and Israel began trading fire.

The conflict has cost Lebanon more than $5 billion in economic losses, with actual structural damage amounting to billions more, the World Bank said on Thursday.