UPDATES WITH MORE STRIKES; CHANGES DECK
By Jomaa Younis and Rania Abu Shamala
ISTANBUL (AA) - Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes late Thursday on the Lebanese capital Beirut’s southern suburbs, a report said.
Israeli aircraft targeted a building near Al-Qaem Mosque after issuing a warning, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).
Israeli warplanes launched seven additional airstrikes, two of which were intense, with plumes of smoke rising, the agency added, though the targeted location was not specified.
The attacks were preceded by at least seven warning strikes on the suburbs carried out by Israeli drones, according to NNA.
Later, an Israeli drone carried out a strike on Ain Qana village, followed by airstrikes from Israeli warplanes targeting a building previously threatened with bombing, the news agency reported.
It said residents of southern Lebanese towns including Dibbine and Blat in the Marjayoun district received Israeli phone warnings to immediately evacuate their homes ahead of expected strikes.
Israeli warplanes were also reported flying at medium altitude over areas of Rachaiya and Western Bekaa, the agency added.
The Israeli army earlier issued warnings to residents in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh region to evacuate areas ahead of airstrikes.
A statement instructed residents to remain at least 500 meters (1,640 feet) away from several buildings in the village of Ain Qana.
It included a map of the targeted buildings and said it would act against what it called Hezbollah assets in the area.
Earlier, the army ordered residents of the Hadath, Haret Hreik and Borj al-Barajneh neighborhoods in Beirut’s southern suburbs to leave the areas ahead of airstrikes.
The latest attack marks the fourth Israeli strike on the area since a ceasefire agreement came into effect on Nov. 27, 2024.
Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target the Hezbollah group’s activities despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that was reached last November. The truce ended months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.
Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 208 people and injuries to more than 500 since the agreement.
Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply.
Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.