In a renewed assault, Israeli forces bombed the southern suburb of Beirut on Monday evening, according to the Lebanese news agency.
This attack follows new Israeli directives urging evacuation of buildings in various neighborhoods of the area before the bombardment commenced.
The agency reported that the Israeli air force conducted an airstrike on the Ouzai area of the southern suburb, marking the first such action since the escalation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.
Another hostile raid targeted the Harat Hreik area near the Allamah station in the southern suburb, followed by subsequent strikes in the same neighborhood.
One of the airstrikes was near Rafik Hariri University Hospital in the Janah area, close to the southern suburb, which is the largest government hospital in Lebanon.
Visuals from the scene showed smoke billowing over the skies of the southern Beirut suburb, accompanied by the sound of several explosions.
The Israeli military spokesman, Avichay Adraee, posted a warning on X (formerly Twitter), indicating the specific locations that needed to be evacuated, including areas near Beirut’s airport.
The warning stated, “You are near Hezbollah facilities and interests that the Defense Forces will target in the near future.”
Hezbollah announced that its air defense unit successfully downed an Israeli “Hermes 900” drone last evening.
In a statement, the Lebanese group declared the action was in support of the “resilient Palestinian people in Gaza and in defense of Lebanon and its people.”
According to Russia Today‘s correspondent, there was significant activity of Israeli reconnaissance drones at low altitudes over the Lebanese capital prior to the incident.
Mid-month, Hezbollah also reported the downing of another Israeli drone, a “Hermes 450,” indicating a continued escalation in the region’s aerial confrontations.
Hezbollah launched a missile strike on an Israeli military base near Safed on Sunday, escalating tensions in the region.
