Beirut, Lebanon - Strikes hit south Beirut on Wednesday about an hour after Israel issued evacuation warnings for three areas of the main Hezbollah bastion, AFPTV footage showed. One of the strikes triggered a loud explosion which was heard across much of the capital, witnesses said. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee had warned residents to evacuate the southern suburbs of Burj al-Barajneh, Laylaki and Haret Hreik in a post on X. “You are located near facilities and interests affiliated with Hezbollah, against which the (military) will act in the near future,” Adraee said, as a speech by Hezbollah’s new leader Naim Qassem was being broadcast.
Earlier Wednesday, Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported Israeli air strikes on the Bekaa Valley in the east and the southern city of Nabatiyeh. An AFP correspondent in the eastern city of Baalbek reported intense strikes in and around the city. Israel’s army had issued evacuation warnings for Nabatiyeh but not for the Bekaa Vally.
The Israeli army said Hezbollah had fired about 120 projectiles across the border.