Israeli strikes across Lebanon intensify
Over 120 killed as attacks hit multiple cities
Lebanese authorities report mounting civilian toll as Israeli strikes intensified across Lebanon, with the Public Health Emergency Operations Center recording 123 dead and 683 wounded amid a fresh wave of attacks targeting Hezbollah positions. The Israeli Defense Forces said it had struck more than 320 sites nationwide, including command centres, missile launchers and suspected weapons storage. Verified footage and local reports show heavy damage in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Nabatieh, Sidon, Tyre, Tripoli and other towns, with buildings ablaze, collapsed structures and streets strewn with rubble as emergency teams cleared debris and tended to the wounded.
An airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs produced massive explosions after the Israeli army issued an unprecedented full evacuation order for the area; similar evacuation directives were issued for towns in the Beqaa Valley and for residents south of the Litani River. In Tripoli, a drone strike on the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp killed two people, including a Hamas official, health authorities said. State media and local officials reported multiple residential and civilian facilities hit in Nabatieh, where raids damaged humanitarian and community buildings during evening strikes.
Hezbollah said it retaliated by firing missiles, rockets and drones toward Israel, striking military complexes and triggering air‑raid sirens across northern Israel. The group’s deputy leader vowed to confront Israel “to the utmost degree of self‑sacrifice.” Israel released footage it said showed troops and armoured vehicles deployed near and across the border and strikes on Hezbollah targets; some material could not be independently verified by news agencies.
The escalation follows joint Israeli‑U.S. operations against Iran and is viewed by analysts as part of a widening regional confrontation. Lebanese leaders appealed for protection of civilians: Prime Minister Nawaf Salam pledged to assist displaced people and to prevent Lebanon being used as a theatre for wider conflict. International actors have pressed for de‑escalation amid growing humanitarian concerns, with reports of mass displacement, mounting casualties and widespread damage to civilian infrastructure across multiple Lebanese localities.
