Israel pounds Beirut in fight against Hezbollah, expands bombardment in Lebanon, thousands flee widening war

Explosions rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs as Israel expanded its bombardment in Lebanon, also striking a Palestinian refugee camp deep in the north for the first time as it targeted both Hezbollah and Hamas fighters. 

According to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), five strikes were carried out, four of which were described as “very violent”. The strikes targeted Hezbollah-controlled areas, with ambulances swiftly responding to the impacted zones. 

The strong explosions began near midnight and continued into October 6 after Israel’s military urged residents to evacuate areas in Dahiyeh, the predominantly Shiite collection of suburbs on Beirut’s southern edge, AP reported. Video clips showed the blasts illuminating the densely populated southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a strong presence.  

The Israeli military had earlier called for residents to evacuate Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburbs before launching the strikes, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group. 

Israel’s military confirmed it was striking targets near Beirut and said about 30 projectiles had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some intercepted. 

Israel previously confirmed it had targeted the intelligence headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut in the early hours of Saturday morning. 

The Israeli Air Force has confirmed the strike on the mosque in Deir al-Balah where medics say at least five were killed, saying it was being used by Hamas. It also said it struck another site “that was previously used as the Ibn Rushd school”. 

“The command and control complexes were used by Hamas terrorists to plan and carry out terrorist operations against the IDF forces and the State of Israel,” it said in a statement published on the Air Force’s X account. 

Reuters earlier reported at least five people had been killed and more than 20 injured in the strike on the mosque. Eyewitnesses told the news agency the number of casualties could rise as the mosque was being used to house displaced people. 

At least 1,400 Lebanese, including civilians, medics and Hezbollah fighters, have been killed and 1.2 million driven from their homes in less than two weeks, AP reported.

Israeli authorities assert that their military campaign is necessary to protect northern Israeli communities under constant Hezbollah rocket fire. Hezbollah has responded with retaliatory strikes, including missile attacks on military sites near Haifa. 

This surge in violence comes ahead of the anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attack on southern Israel.