Israeli airstrikes heavily targeted southern suburbs of Beirut overnight and into early Sunday, marking the most intense bombardment of the Lebanese capital since Israel intensified its campaign against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah last month.
The explosions reverberated throughout Beirut, with flashes of red and white lighting up the sky for nearly half an hour, visible from several kilometers away. Witnesses and military analysts described this as the largest attack in Israel’s ongoing offensive against Beirut.
On Sunday, a grey haze lingered over the city, and debris was scattered across the streets of the southern suburbs, with columns of smoke rising from the area.
“Last night was the most violent compared to previous nights. The buildings were shaking, and at first, I thought it was an earthquake. There were so many strikes we couldn’t keep track, and the noise was overwhelming,” recounted Hanan Abdullah, a resident of Burj al-Barajneh in the southern suburbs.
Videos making rounds on social media, showed new damage to the highway connecting Beirut’s airport to downtown through the southern suburbs.
Israel stated that its air force conducted targeted strikes on various weapons storage and terrorist infrastructure sites belonging to Hezbollah in the Beirut area.
Lebanese authorities have yet to confirm the targets or the extent of the damage caused by the strikes.
This weekend’s intense bombing coincided with the anniversary of the October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel, which resulted in around 1,200 fatalities and over 250 hostages, according to Israeli reports.
Israel’s airstrikes throughout Lebanon and its ground offensive in the southern region are primarily aimed at Hezbollah, Iran’s key ally in the area.
