A huge fireball lit up the night sky and plumes of smoke rose over south Beirut early Sunday as Israel unleashed intense air strikes targeting Hezbollah, nearly a year since the Gaza war erupted.
Israeli forces were on high alert ahead of Monday's anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack, which sparked the war.
After a devastating year-long conflict in Gaza, Israel has now shifted its focus to northwards to Hezbollah, Hamas's Iran-backed ally in Lebanon.
Lebanon's official National News Agency said the Hezbollah stronghold in south Beirut was hit by more than 30 strikes, which were heard across the city. Targets included a petrol station.
Israel's military said it "conducted a series of strikes on a number of weapons storage facilities" and infrastructure, stressing it had taken "numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians".
AFPTV footage showed a massive fireball over a residential area of south Beirut, followed by a loud bang and secondary explosions. Smoke still billowed from the site after dawn.
In the Sabra area, near the southern suburbs, dozens of people, some carrying bags on foot and others on motorbikes, fled one of the most intense bombardments of the Israel-Hezbollah war.
Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli forces with artillery after they tried to infiltrate towards Khallat Shuaib in Blida, in southern Lebanon.
A statement said fighters fired a rocket barrage at........