At least one Israeli strike hit Beirut’s southern suburbs early on Wednesday morning, Reuters witnesses said, hours after the US said it opposed the scope of Israeli attacks in Beirut amid a rising death toll and fears of wider regional escalation.
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Reuters witnesses heard two blasts and saw plumes of smoke emerging from two separate neighbourhoods. It came after Israel issued an evacuation order early on Wednesday which mentioned only one building.
The Israeli military has in recent weeks carried out strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, without advance warnings, or issued a warning for one area while striking more broadly.
The Israeli military said it conducted a strike on an underground Hezbollah weapons stockpile in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh.
“Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including advancing warnings to the population in the area,” the Israeli military said.
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