Israel says it launched 26 waves of airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs since Monday

ISTANBUL

The Israeli army said Friday it has launched 26 waves of airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs since Monday, targeting high-rise buildings and infrastructure it claims belong to the Lebanese group Hezbollah, the army reported.

“About 26 waves of airstrikes have targeted the suburb since the start of the battle,” the army added in a post on Telegram.

Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since Monday have killed 123 people and wounded 683 others, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.

The military added that it targeted “command centers and multi-story structures in Beirut overnight,” claiming they contained “military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah.”

It also said the strikes targeted “an executive council's command center and a facility storing UAVs,” the army also said.

The armed conflict in the region expanded on Monday to include Lebanon after Israel and the US began a sustained offensive against Iran on Feb. 28.

On Monday, Hezbollah, an ally of Iran, targeted a military site in northern Israel in response to the joint US-Israeli military attacks on Iran, as well as Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement in place since November 2024.

Israel launched a new offensive against Lebanon the same day, carrying out airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and areas in southern and eastern Lebanon that killed more than 70 people. On Tuesday, Israeli forces began a limited ground incursion.

Israel had previously killed more than 4,000 people and wounded about 17,000 others during an offensive in Lebanon that began in October 2023 and escalated into a full-scale war in September 2024.

Since Feb. 28, the Israel-US offensive against Iran has killed around 1,000 people, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and top military officials. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.

* Writing by Lina Altawell.