Israel says strikes Hezbollah intel HQ in Beirut

Israel's military said Thursday it had hit Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in the Lebanese capital, as troops battled militants near the border and warplanes bombarded their strongholds around the country.

Israel announced this week that its troops had started "ground raids" into parts of southern Lebanon, a stronghold of Hezbollah, after days of heavy bombardment of areas across the country where the group holds sway.

The bombing has killed more than 1,000 people, according to Lebanon's health ministry, and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes in a country already mired in economic and political crisis.

Israel, at war in Gaza since Hamas's Oct. 7 attack, says it shifted its focus to secure its northern border and ensure the safe return of more than 60,000 people displaced by Hezbollah attacks over the past year.

On the Gaza front, the Israeli military said a strike three months ago killed three senior Hamas leaders, including Rahwi Mushtaha, the head of the militant movement's government in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

In Lebanon, the Israeli military said it hit "targets belonging to Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut".

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported three air strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, with a source close to Hezbollah telling AFP the target was an evacuated building that housed the group's media relations office.

Israel told Lebanese people to evacuate more than 20 villages and the city of Nabatiyeh.

"For your own safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Awali River. Save your lives," army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.

Central Beirut strike

Hezbollah said it...