The Israeli military today (Friday) announced the launch of a new raid on the southern outskirts of Beirut, confirming that the night raid targeted Hezbollah headquarters and infrastructure. Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said the operation against Lebanon would not end until the threat was eliminated.
The Israeli military reported that it had launched 26 waves of raids on Beirut’s southern outskirts since the start of the fighting, adding that it had attacked marching warehouses used by Hezbollah, as well as more than 500 targets inside Lebanon since the start of the fighting.
This morning, Israeli warplanes launched a series of air strikes targeting a number of towns in southern Lebanon. The state-run Lebanese news agency said Israeli warplanes targeted the southern town of Ankun, as well as the towns of Surifa, Qalawiya, al-Khaniya, al-Sawana and al-Kiyam in southern Lebanon. Early today, Israeli warplanes launched two airstrikes targeting the town of Doris in Bekaa, eastern Lebanon.
Last night, Israeli military aircraft launched a series of air raids on the southern outskirts of Beirut, targeting the areas of al-Jams, al-Mushrifiyah, Hallet Lake, al-Mamoura, al-Kafat, and Burj al-Barajneh. The state news agency said they attacked the towns of Surifa, Aita al-Shaab, Thurin, al-Sawana and Majdal Salam in southern Lebanon during the night.
Sources confirmed that a drone was shot down in the airspace of northern Israel, with its siren sounding to warn of entry into the airspace.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Hezbollah today called on residents of northern Israel to leave the area. He said in a statement that they targeted a group of military vehicles that were heading towards the town of Kiam.
He warned that the Israeli offensive in Lebanon would not go unresponsive and called on residents to evacuate all Israeli settlements within five kilometers of the border.
The Israeli military has called on residents of densely populated areas of the Lebanese capital Beirut to leave the areas, which are considered Hezbollah strongholds.
This is the first time that Israel has issued an evacuation order for an area of this size outside Beirut. Previous warnings were typically limited to individual buildings or much smaller areas. Witnesses said many residents panicked and tried to flee the area.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced this week that 123 people were killed and 683 injured in Israeli attacks.
