Israel hits Beirut suburbs as regional war expands after Iran strikes

Israeli fighter jets conducted a new wave of airstrikes on Lebanon's capital Beirut on Wednesday, hitting multiple targets in the southern suburbs within less than an hour, an Anadolu correspondent reported. The strikes targeted a building in Haret Hreik, another in the Hadath area, and a third in the Liqi neighborhood, with smoke rising from the damaged structures as Israeli warplanes continued heavy overflights.

Evacuation Warnings and Hezbollah Infrastructure

The attacks followed Israeli army warnings for residents to evacuate specific buildings, which the military claimed housed Hezbollah infrastructure. Casualty information was not immediately available. The strikes mark the latest escalation on Israel's northern border following its ground incursion into southern Lebanon announced Tuesday, opening a second front alongside the ongoing campaign against Iran.

Regional Conflict Widens

Wednesday's attacks come as the broader regional conflict ignited by Saturday's US-Israeli strikes on Iran continues to expand. Those strikes reportedly killed nearly 800 people, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior military officials. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel and Gulf countries hosting US assets, with Bahrain and Qatar reporting interceptions of over 170 projectiles. The simultaneous escalation on multiple fronts raises fears of a wider conflagration drawing in additional actors across the Middle East.