Israeli air raids struck a hotel near Beirut and a residential building in eastern Lebanon on Wednesday, Lebanese state media reported, as Israel announced “broad-scale strikes” against Hezbollah following repeated missile and drone launches.
According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, a building in Baalbek, well east of the border with Israel, was targeted along with a hotel in Hazmieh, a suburb of Beirut that had until now largely avoided the violence.
In Aramoun and Saadiyat, towns south of the capital and outside Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds, Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes killed six people and injured eight others, describing the figures as a “preliminary toll”.
There was no immediate clarification on what specific sites were hit in those areas or in Baalbek.
The Israeli military did not comment directly on the reported locations but earlier confirmed it was conducting “broad-scale strikes” against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said three paramedics were among the dead in Lebanon, and six others were wounded while attempting to rescue victims of earlier explosions.
Air raid sirens were activated in northern Israel near the Lebanese border. The Israeli military said in a statement that “Several projectiles that crossed from Lebanon… were intercepted,” adding that there were no reported casualties.
Earlier alerts had sounded in the border town of Metula, where Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli troops “with a missile salvo”.
The group also announced that it had struck the Haifa naval base on Tuesday in retaliation for Israeli attacks that began after Hezbollah’s initial response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during joint U.S.-Israeli strikes over the weekend.
Before Wednesday’s raids, the Israeli military issued an “urgent warning” urging residents in 16 towns and villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of planned operations against Hezbollah fighters.
While Israeli forces have repeatedly bombarded southern Lebanon and Hezbollah-controlled suburbs of Beirut, Wednesday’s strikes reportedly extended beyond the group’s established areas of influence.
The National News Agency said “an Israeli air strike targeted a hotel in Hazmieh”, marking the first reported strike in the predominantly Christian suburb.
“Ambulances were dispatched to the scene,” the agency reported.
Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 50 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since Monday.
On Tuesday morning, Israel said it had launched a new wave of “simultaneous strikes in Tehran and Beirut”. Later, it stated that “approximately 60” targets tied to Hezbollah and Hamas had been hit, in addition to further “broad-scale strikes” in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah said it targeted the Haifa naval base with “a barrage of high-quality missiles” at 8:00 pm local time (1800 GMT). Shortly after, the Israeli military reported detecting multiple incoming projectiles, most of which were intercepted.
Amid efforts to prevent Lebanon from being pulled deeper into regional conflict, the Lebanese government announced Monday a ban on Hezbollah’s military operations.
Israel said it has positioned troops at several points in southern Lebanon as part of what it described as a “forward defence” posture along the border.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 13 attacks against Israeli forces on Tuesday, including strikes on at least five tanks, three of which it said were inside Lebanese territory.
The group said the operations were carried out “in response to the criminal Israeli aggression on dozens of Lebanese cities and towns”.
Lebanese officials reported that more than 58,000 people have been displaced from affected areas since Monday.
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television channel said its headquarters in Beirut was among the sites targeted.
A ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024 aimed to halt more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, including an Israeli ground offensive.
Despite that deal, Israel has continued conducting air strikes against Hezbollah positions, citing the group’s refusal to disarm.
