Israel continues to pound south Beirut, Lebanon calls the strikes 'very violent'

Official Lebanese media said Israeli strikes hit south Beirut Saturday night into Sunday, some of them “very violent”, with AFP correspondents hearing explosions for over two hours in one of the most intense barrages yet.

“Israeli enemy warplanes carried out four very violent strikes on (Beirut’s) southern suburbs, and one strike on the Chweifat” area, with ambulances rushing to the site, Lebanon’s National News Agency said.

AFP correspondents heard explosions in south Beirut and its outskirts for more than two hours following the NNA’s statement.

AFP footage showed plumes of smoke rising from the targeted areas.

In one south Beirut location, a ball of flame rose into the air while flares shot up amid thick smoke for about an hour.

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An AFP correspondent in the Sabra area close to Beirut’s southern suburbs saw dozens of people on the streets, some carrying bags fleeing on foot or on motorbikes as explosions echoed in the background.

The NNA said air traffic at Lebanon’s only airport in Beirut, close to the targeted areas, was “ongoing despite the Israeli enemy’s aggression on the southern suburbs. Several Middle East Airlines planes have just landed”.

The Israeli army said it was “currently striking terror targets belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the area of Beirut” in a statement on its Telegram channel.

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Earlier Saturday night, the Israeli army announced a new call for residents to evacuate from Beirut’s southern suburbs, as it continued to target Hezbollah positions in the Lebanese capital.

“For your safety and that of your family members, you must immediately evacuate the designated buildings and those adjacent to them and move away from them at least 500 meters,” said spokesperson Avichay Adraee on social media, alongside satellite images highlighting areas in the Burj el-Barajneh, Haret Hreik and Chweifat al-Amrussiya neighbourhoods.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement and its foe Israel have been exchanging near-daily cross-border fire for nearly a year in fallout from the Gaza war.

But since September 23, Israel has launched devastating air strikes on targets in Lebanon that have killed more than 1,110 people and forced more than one million to flee their homes.

Last week, Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in air strikes on the group’s south Beirut bastion.