Lebanon offensive

Israeli army: “Hezbollah weapons factories destroyed”

Some of the suspected weapons factories are said to have been located in and under residential buildings.(Bild: APA/AFP)

According to Israel's military, several "weapons factories" belonging to the pro-Iranian Shia militia Hezbollah were destroyed on Thursday night. The IDF also presented corresponding aerial photographs showing the demolition of the buildings in the middle of residential areas in a suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Lebanese state media reported that six buildings had been razed to the ground in at least 17 Israeli attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut during the night. The national news agency spoke of the "most violent" attacks in the area "since the beginning of the war". Video footage from the AFP news agency showed a massive explosion in the suburb of Leylaki, followed by smaller explosions. The Israeli army had previously issued an evacuation warning for the area in the town of Dahiye, where Hezbollah has great influence.

Several buildings were razed to the ground.(Bild: APA/AFP)

The Lebanese news agency NNA also reported a "new wave of Israeli attacks on villages" in the southern Lebanese districts of Tyros and Bint Jbeil. At dawn, there was also heavy shelling with artillery and machine guns in Aita al-Shaab and Ramya in the border area. The Sky News Arabia television station also reported fighting in the Kafr Kila, Taiba and Udaissa areas on the border between the two countries.

The Israeli army reported that around 50 rockets had been fired from Lebanon towards the Galilee region in northern Israel in the morning. Some of the missiles were intercepted, while others hit the ground. According to the Magen David Adom rescue service, at least three people were injured by falling debris.

Lebanese army units once again came under fire. Three members of the army were killed while trying to evacuate the wounded, according to a military statement.

Conference in Paris: Around 1 billion euros in emergency aid for Lebanon
At an international aid conference in Paris, 800 million euros in emergency humanitarian aid was mobilized for Lebanon, a country shaken by war and crises. A further 200 million euros were pledged to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces.

According to the French government, the aim of the conference was to provide the 400 million dollars (around 370 million euros) requested by the United Nations for the displaced persons in Lebanon. According to UN figures, almost 700,000 people have been displaced by the conflict between the Israeli army and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia. The number of dead is estimated at more than 2,500 and the number of injured at more than 12,000.