Israel bombed Beirut: The scale of war against Iran expands
Israel is attacking Lebanon to eliminate Hezbollah.
On Friday, Israel bombed the southern districts of Beirut and ordered the evacuation of the entire area. Reuters reports on this.
It is noted that this action led to a significant expansion of the war against Iran that Israel and the US began a week ago.
It is said that Israel expanded the bombardment in Beirut with the aim of destroying the Shia militia "Hezbollah," which is linked to Iran. "Hezbollah" has had a strong influence in Lebanese politics since the 1980s and opened fire on Israel this week in response to the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Israeli army announced that it carried out 26 strikes on Beirut throughout the night and that "Hezbollah" command centers and weapons depots supported by Iran were targeted.
"We were forced to sleep in the streets — some in cars, some on the street, some on the beach," said 43-year-old Beiruti Jamal Seyfeddin. He fled from the southern districts of Beirut and spent the night hours on the streets in the center of the capital.
Historically, Israel has threatened Lebanon several times, most recently carrying out a bombing campaign in 2024 that weakened "Hezbollah." However, it is said that Friday's strikes were unprecedented in strength compared to previous experiences in Beirut's war history.
Israel called on the population to leave the southern area of Beirut. In previous campaigns, evacuation was only required in small areas. Simultaneously with the bombardment of Beirut, Israel began new strikes against Iran with the aim of targeting infrastructure in Tehran.
Explosions were also heard in Israeli territory, and the Israeli defense system attempted to intercept incoming strikes from Iran. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it had carried out a missile and drone operation targeting the center of Tel Aviv.
Additionally, during the night hours, Iranian drones also targeted the Al Udeid US airbase in Qatar, which is considered the largest US base in the Middle East. Qatari officials reported there were no casualties.
