A powerful explosion lit up the night sky along Beirut's airport highway late Wednesday into early Thursday, as Israeli airstrikes hit the busy road amid intensifying clashes between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanon's health ministry said three people were killed and six were wounded in the strikes on vehicles along the airport highway. "Two Israeli air strikes on the airport highway killed three people and wounded six," the ministry said.
Israel's military said it had targeted two people in the Beirut area, though it did not immediately provide further details.
Footage from the scene captured the moment of impact, showing flames erupting between roadside buildings and thick smoke billowing over the area.
The strike came after a third consecutive day of Israeli bombardments, carried out in response to renewed attacks from Hezbollah.
Early Thursday, Israel issued fresh evacuation orders for a suburb of Beirut, warning residents to leave as it prepared to strike targets it said were linked to Hezbollah. The group's leader had earlier vowed to continue its fight against Israel, even as Israeli ground forces pushed into several border towns and air raids intensified across Lebanon.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on Monday, when Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during US-Israeli strikes over the weekend.
The group stepped up its attacks on Wednesday, saying it targeted Israeli positions as far as Tel Aviv in at least 15 attacks.
(With inputs from AFP)
