Oct 06,V7N- Lebanese media reported intense Israeli airstrikes on southern Beirut overnight from Saturday into Sunday, marking one of the most violent barrages yet in the ongoing conflict. According to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA), four strikes targeted Beirut's southern suburbs, while another hit the Chweifat area. Ambulances were seen rushing to the affected sites as explosions reverberated for over two hours.

AFP correspondents on the ground reported plumes of smoke and a ball of fire rising from the southern suburbs, with people fleeing the area, some on foot or motorbikes, amid the continued bombardment. Despite the strikes, air traffic at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport continued, with several flights landing safely.

The Israeli military confirmed on its Telegram channel that it was striking Hezbollah targets in Beirut, following earlier warnings to residents in southern suburbs to evacuate for safety. This recent escalation comes after a prolonged period of near-daily cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israel, worsened by the ongoing Gaza conflict.

Since late September, Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon have resulted in over 1,110 deaths and displaced more than one million people. Recently, Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in Israeli strikes on the group's stronghold in southern Beirut.

END/WD/RH/