BEIRUT

Israeli fighter jets launched fresh airstrikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut on Wednesday, as regional escalation following US-Israel attacks on Iran continued to spike.

Warplanes conducted at least three strikes on the southern Beirut suburbs in less than an hour, according to an Anadolu reporter on the ground.

The airstrikes targeted a building in Haret Hreik, another in the Hadath area, and a third in the Liqi neighborhood, with smoke rising from the structures hit.

Information on casualties was not immediately available.

Israeli warplanes continued to fly heavily over the area, the correspondent added.

The strikes came after the Israeli army issued immediate evacuation warnings for residents before targeting these buildings, which it claimed were "infrastructure for Hezbollah."

The army also ordered residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes immediately and move north of the Litani River ahead of attacks, military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on US social media company X.

“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately. Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, facilities, or combat means is endangering their life,” he said.

The situation escalated in Lebanon on Monday after Hezbollah targeted a military site in northern Israel with rockets and drones in response to ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon and the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in ongoing US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

The Israeli army launched a series of airstrikes in response, killing at least 40 people and injuring nearly 250 others. The military also launched a ground incursion into southern Lebanon.

Israel imposes strict censorship on reporting casualties caused by missiles launched by Iran and Hezbollah or intercepted by its defenses and also prohibits the circulation of related footage.

Israel has killed more than 4,000 people and wounded about 17,000 others during its assault on Lebanon that began in October 2023 and expanded into a full-scale war in September 2024.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel and Lina Altawell