Israel resumes Beirut bombing as Lebanon death toll passes 2,000
Israeli strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut continued overnight as Lebanon’s Health Ministry says more than 2,000 people have been killed so far in Israel’s attacks across the country, including 127 children and 261 women.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians have had to leave their homes in the Lebanese capital Beirut in order to escape the Israeli air raids.
In one luxury nightclub in the centre of Beirut, people displaced by Israel’s bombardment have found refuge, Al Jazeera reported.
The evacuation orders, announced on X by the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee, ordered the residents of the Burj al-Barajneh and Haret Hreik areas of southern Beirut to leave their homes.
“You are located near Hezbollah facilities and interests, and the [Israeli military] will operate against them in the near future,” he said alongside an image of a city map with targeted buildings highlighted in red.
A large blast has been reported in Beirut, shortly after Israel issued a forced evacuation notice, Reuters reported.
One Beirut resident told Middle East Eye that they witnessed a mushroom cloud rising above Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese armed group, Hezbollah, has announced that it has carried out rocket attacks against Israeli forces in recent hours.
A “rocket salvo” was fired at a gathering of Israeli forces in the settlement of Kafrioufel in northern Israel. Rockets were also fired at Israeli troops in the Lebanese village of Khallet Ubair in Yaroun and Israeli forces in the settlement of Kafr Jaladi in northern Israel.
No casualties or injuries have been reported by Israeli authorities.
