Live: Israel ramps up strikes on Gaza after Iran attack

Lebanon's Jamaa Islamiya party has condemned the recent air strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, calling them "genocide" against civilians, the Lebanese paper L'Orient-Le Jour reported.

The party accused Israel of "indiscriminately bombing residential buildings, reducing them to rubble and killing women, children and the elderly". 

“We consider that the genocidal war waged by the Zionist enemy against the civilian population aims to force the resistance into surrendering and impose its conditions on Lebanon as a way to compensate for its failure in Gaza," Jamaa Islamiya said in a statement, without mentioning the fate of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. 

Israeli Army Radio reported that military aircraft deployed approximately 85 bunker-busting bombs, each carrying one ton of explosives, in an attempt to assassinate Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The bombs were dropped in civilian areas, resulting in numerous casualties.

The National News Agency reported that 11 doctors, nurses and paramedics were killed and 10 others wounded in Israeli strikes targeting civil defence centres and a medical clinic.

The attacks occurred in the towns of Taybeh and Deir Serian, near the Israeli border.

Since Monday, Israeli strikes on Lebanon have resulted in over 700 deaths.

The Palestinian health ministry reported that Israeli forces launched four attacks in the strip, resulting in 52 deaths and 118 people injuries within a span of 48 hours.

The ministry said that since October 7 of last year, the Israeli war has claimed the lives of 41,586 Palestinians, with the number of injured now standing at 96,210.

The Israeli army said it has killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on its strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday.

The military says it also killed several other commanders from the Lebanese group in overnight strikes on the country.

Hezbollah has yet to confirm any casualties from Israel's latest attacks.

Hello Middle East Eye readers. On Friday, Israel launched a massive series of air strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, completely levelling several buildings in what was the largest Israeli strike on Beirut since the 2006 war.

The strike levelled at least four residential buildings, and rescue workers are finding it difficult to assess the full death toll given how destructive the bombings were.

So far, at least six people have been found killed in the strikes, while more than 90 have been injured.

Israel claimed it was targeting Hezbollah's command centre, and Israeli reports stated that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was a target.

Neither Hezbollah nor Israel have confirmed whether Nasrallah was killed in the strike.

Hours later, Israel launched new air strikes on southern Beirut, an area colloquially known as Dahiyeh, claiming it was targeting Hezbollah's weapons depots.

In a statement, Hezbollah denied there are any weapons or arms depots located in Beirut's suburbs.

Here's what else you need to know about today's developments:

• Israel's military launched a series of air strikes on the Lebanese city of Tyre in the southern part of the country.

• US President Joe Biden directed the Pentagon to "assess and adjust as necessary US force posture" in the Middle East.

• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Israel used US-supplied, 5,000-pound bunker buster bombs in its strikes on south Beirut.

• Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israel wouldn't allow Beirut's civilian airport to be used for military purposes, hinting that the airport could become a target of Israeli bombs.

• In a post on X, Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said people residing in the Hadath and Laylaki neighbourhoods in Beirut should leave their homes immediately and to keep away "for a distance of no less than 500 metres".

• While Hezbollah has not commented on the Beirut strikes, the Lebanese movement said it launched new rocket attacks on several areas in Israel.

• Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, said in vague remarks to state television that "assassinations will not solve Israel's problem. ... With the assassination of resistance leaders, others will take their place".

• One-way ticket prices from Beirut to major US cities over the next several days have skyrocketed, as the US Embassy in Lebanon has urged citizens to book commercial flights out of the country. The US has not said it would assist with evacuations for Americans in Lebanon.

• The Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing, said in a statement that it targeted and destroyed an Israeli Merkava 4 tank in an area near Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.

The Canadian government is aiding its citizens in booking seats on commercial flights to leave Lebanon, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly said.

"Canada has secured seats for Canadians on the limited commercial flights available," Joly said in a statement on social media.

"If a seat is available, please take it."

Joly urged Canadians to register with the embassy in Beirut if they needed help leaving and said loans were available to those requiring financial assistance.

Reporting by Reuters

Israel's military has just launched a series of air strikes on the Lebanese city of Tyre in the southern part of the country.

Israel has said it will continue to strike parts of Lebanon after it dropped a series of massive bombs on Beirut's southern suburbs, claiming to target Hezbollah's command centre.

At the United Nations headquarters, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Israel used US-supplied, 5,000-pound bunker-buster bombs in its strikes on south Beirut on Friday.

The bomb Araghchi is likely referring to is the GBU-72 bomb, which weighs 5,000 pounds. The bomb is the most advanced bunker buster and can penetrate up to 30m(100ft) of earth or 6m (20ft) of concrete.

US President Joe Biden directed the Pentagon to "assess and adjust as necessary US force posture" in the Middle East.

"He has directed the Pentagon to assess and adjust as necessary US force posture in the region to enhance deterrence, ensure force protection, and support the full range of US objectives," the White House said in a statement.

Several reports state that Israel launched a new strike on Beirut's densely populated southern suburbs, colloquially known as Dahiyeh.

At least six people were killed and 91 others wounded in Israel's large-scale bombing of southern Beirut on Friday, according to the latest death toll released by Lebanon's health ministry.

Israel's military said that in the coming hours, it will launch additional air strikes in southern Beirut.

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israel's earlier strike on Beirut was "very precise", and added that Israel wouldn't allow Beirut's civilian airport to be used for military purposes, hinting that the airport could become a target of Israeli bombs.

After striking southern Beirut earlier today with a massive air raid, the Israeli military is now calling for the forced displacement of the area's residents.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X that people residing in the Hadath and Laylaki neighbourhoods in Beirut should leave their homes immediately and to keep away "for a distance of no less than 500 metres".

"You are located near Hezbollah interests and for your safety and the safety of your loved ones, you must evacuate the buildings," said Adraee.

Ali Larijani, an advisor to Iran's supreme leader, told state television that "assassinations will not solve Israel's problem. ... With the assassination of resistance leaders, others will take their place".

Israel's military targeted southern Beirut with a major air strike, with Israeli reports saying the strike targeted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Neither the Israeli military nor Hezbollah have commented on whether Nasrallah was killed.