Smoke was seen rising from an area near the airport. Shortly before, the Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli military, Avichay Adraee, urged residents near specific buildings in three parts of the city to leave their homes. According to Israel, one target was an intelligence center for Hezbollah, writes Reuters.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, which continues to fire rockets at Israel, claims that battles are ongoing against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel.
Israel has justified its ground offensive into Lebanon, citing the need to strengthen security for the tens of thousands of Israelis living near the border on the Israeli side, who have been forced to leave their homes over the past year. Since the war between Israel and the terrorist-designated Hamas began on October 7 last year, following Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel, Hezbollah has fired rockets at Israel in support of Hamas. Israel has responded and, nearly two weeks ago, launched intensive airstrikes against targets across Lebanon.
According to a statement from Hamas, which Reuters has obtained, a leader of Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassem Brigades, Saaed Atallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tripoli in northern Lebanon.
