Israel has conducted a strike on Beirut for the first time since it reached a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah in November.
The Israeli military claims the target was infrastructure used by Hezbollah to store drones, located in the city’s southern suburbs.
This follows an urgent warning from the Israeli army to evacuate certain parts of a Beirut suburb on Friday, as it promised retaliation for strikes originating from Lebanon into northern Israel.
The Lebanese government mandated the closure of all schools and universities in the southern suburb of Hadath for the day.
Reports from Beirut suggest that gunfire was audible in some southern suburbs, prompting residents to leave their homes with many fleeing the area by car or on foot.
Associated Press journalists in Beirut witnessed a loud explosion and observed smoke rising from the area targeted by the Israeli military.
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