Israeli missiles strike southern Beirut suburb

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – Four Israeli missiles struck the Burj al-Barajneh area in the southern suburb of Beirut, according to Lebanon’s official news agency.

The airstrikes targeted the predominantly residential district, a stronghold of Hezbollah, in a significant escalation of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group.

There have been no reports of casualties.

However, earlier on Saturday, at least 13 people were killed during a series of Israeli bombardments of Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, and southern Lebanese towns.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,800 people, most of them women and children, following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

At least 2,011 people have since been killed, over 9,500 injured, and 1.2 million others displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi