Israel and Hezbollah exchange heavy fire as Blinken pushes for peace
Israeli pounded Beirut and hit the historic city of Tyre, while the militants turned to precision guided missiles for the first time
Israeli strikes pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday and Hezbollah said it fired precision guided missiles for the first time at Israeli targets, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken toured the region, pushing for a halt to fighting in both Gaza and Lebanon.
The strikes on the edges of Beirut sent thick columns of flames shooting up into the night sky one after the other, shortly after an Israeli military spokesman issued evacuation warnings for the neighbourhood.
Another strike came with no warning hitting the nearby office of pro-Iran broadcaster Al-Mayadeen, the station said. It said the office had been empty since the conflict began. Lebanon’s health ministry said one person was killed and five others, including a child, were wounded.
Iran-backed Hezbollah said in a statement late on Wednesday that it had escalated its attacks on Israel, using “precision missiles” for the first time and launched new types of drones on Israeli targets, without offering further details.
It later said it had targeted an Israeli military factory on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. Around the time of Hezbollah’s claim, air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and neighbouring cities.
