Explosions continue in Beirut as IDF expands Lebanon ground offensive

Israel says it aims to drive Hezbollah away from the border so the thousands of Israelis displaced by months of almost daily cross-border fire can return to their homes.

Powerful new explosions have rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs overnight into Sunday as Israel expanded its bombardment in Lebanon, also striking a Palestinian refugee camp in the north as it targeted both Hezbollah and Hamas fighters.

The strong explosions began around midnight after Israel’s military urged residents to evacuate areas in Dahiyeh, a collection of suburbs on Beirut’s southern edge.

The IDF confirmed it was striking targets near Beirut and said about 30 projectiles had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some intercepted.

Speaking on Saturday night, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that since the start of the ground operation on 30 September, Israeli forces had killed 440 Hezbollah militants and destroyed more than 2,000 targets.

“The ground operation is accompanied by dozens of air strikes that are continuing now throughout Lebanon, including in Beirut. Yesterday we attacked the main intelligence headquarters of Hezbollah in the heart of Dahiyeh. We are still checking the results of the attack and will update later,” he said.

And in a post on X, the IDF said it had found and dismantled a 250-metre long tunnel in southern Lebanon that it says Hezbollah had intended to use to enter Israeli territory.

Israeli strikes on Saturday reportedly targeted a building near a road leading to Lebanon’s only international airport and another building formerly used by the Hezbollah-run broadcaster Al-Manar.

Hezbollah claimed in a statement that it successfully targeted a group of Israeli soldiers near the Manara settlement in northern Israel “with a large rocket salvo, hitting them accurately.”

The IDF made no statement about this alleged attack.

Israel’s attack on the Beddawi camp killed an official with Hamas’ military wing along with his wife and two young daughters, the Palestinian militant group said.

Hamas later said another military wing member was killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley. The aftermath showed smashed buildings, scattered bricks and stairways to nowhere.

Israel has killed several Hamas officials in Lebanon since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, in addition to most of the top leadership of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah as fighting has sharply escalated.

At least 1,400 Lebanese, including civilians, medics and Hezbollah fighters, have been killed and 1.2 million driven from their homes in less than two weeks.

Israel says it aims to drive the militant group away from their shared border so the thousands of displaced Israelis can return to their homes.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah, the strongest armed force in Lebanon, began firing rockets into Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ 7 October incursion into Israel, calling it a show of support for the Palestinians.

Hezbollah and Israel’s military have traded fire almost daily.

Last week, Israel launched what it called a limited ground operation into southern Lebanon after a series of attacks killed long-time Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and others.