Israel Intensifies Strikes in Lebanon Amid Push for Cease-Fire

Israel’s military struck neighborhoods south of Beirut where Hezbollah holds sway and issued sweeping new evacuation warnings across southern Lebanon on Tuesday, intensifying Israel’s conflict with the militant group just as diplomatic momentum appeared to be building toward talks aimed at a temporary cease-fire.

A series of strikes hit the Dahiya, a once densely populated suburb south of Beirut, Lebanon’s capital. Plumes of thick, acrid smoke rose above the city skyline after a wave of missiles shook the area, sending schoolchildren running for cover miles from the blasts as Israeli surveillance drones buzzed overhead.

In a statement, the Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah targets, including command centers and weapons production sites. It accused the group of embedding in civilian areas.

The Lebanese authorities said they were assessing the extent of casualties and damage from the Dahiya strikes.

After the strikes, the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for 14 towns and villages in southern Lebanon, the second wave of such alerts in 48 hours after nearly a month without them. Some of the towns had already been emptied and largely leveled by Israel’s ground offensive, which began last month.

Israel’s military said on Tuesday that it had struck about 100 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon over the past day. More than 30 people were killed in the attacks, Lebanon’s health ministry said late Tuesday. Strikes from Lebanon killed two people in northern Israel on Tuesday, the Israeli authorities said.