Israel launches fresh strikes in Lebanon

Israel launches fresh strikes in Lebanon

Israel launched fresh strikes Monday on Tyre, Lebanese state media said, after the Israeli military told swathes of the southern city to evacuate and following an earlier raid that killed seven people.

The National News Agency (NNA) reported “a series of strikes” on the ancient coastal city, beginning with a raid on a residential apartment.

An AFP video journalist reported thick clouds of smoke covering parts of Tyre, including rising from a building along the seafront. The Israeli army had earlier told residents in parts of central Tyre to leave immediately, warning it would attack Hezbollah targets there.

“Hezbollah’s activities force the (Israeli military) to act against it forcefully,” military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X, urging residents to “head north”. An accompanying map showed large swathes of the city marked in red, including an area abutting a UNESCO World Heritage site.