Beirut

A huge fireball lit up the night sky and plumes of smoke rose over south Beirut early Sunday as Israel unleashed intense air strikes targeting Hezbollah, nearly a year since the Gaza war erupted.

Israeli forces were on high alert ahead of Monday's anniversary of Hamas's Oct. 7 attack, which sparked the war.

The Israeli military claimed it targeted Hezbollah weapons depots after carrying out more than 30 strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, in what Lebanese media described as “the most violent night” of attacks.

Lebanese national news agency ANI reported that there were Israeli bombings in and around a southern Beirut suburb, including four “very heavy” bombings, shortly after the Israeli army ordered civilians to evacuate immediately and hastily from several sectors of this stronghold of the Shiite Hezbollah movement.

Eleven Greek citizens and their family members have been successfully evacuated from Lebanon, arriving in Larnaca on a chartered flight organized by the Republic of Cyprus, according to a statement from the Greek Foreign Ministry posted on the social media platform X on Saturday.

The operation was made possible with the support of the Greek and Cypriot embassies in Beirut.

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut�s southern suburbs on Oct. 5, 2024.

Iran's supreme leader vowed in a rare address on Friday that his allies around the region would keep fighting Israel, as he defended his country's missile strike on its foe.

An Israeli precision strike in Beirut has resulted in the death of Mohammad Rashid Sakafi, the Commander of Hezbollah's communications unit. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) confirmed the operation, sharing the details in a post on "X". Sakafi, described as a senior Hezbollah figure, had been responsible for the group's communications infrastructure since 2000.

Acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev expressed concern about the potential danger of a migrant wave heading toward Bulgaria, following a session of the National Security Advisory Council (NSAC) that discussed the risks for the country amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

A new wave of bombings was launched by the Israeli military during the night in the southern part of Beirut, which is regarded as a Hezbollah stronghold.

An Israeli airstrike in the West Bank resulted in the deaths of at least 18 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry. The strike took place on Thursday in the Tulkarm refugee camp. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa condemned the event, describing it as a "massacre" on social media, and accused Israel of disregarding international calls for justice.

Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

Israel bombarded south Beirut at least 10 times late Thursday, Lebanese sources said, after it launched its deadliest strike on the occupied West Bank in decades.