Israel strikes Beirut amid rocket fire from Hezbollah and Iran

Israel launched a series of strikes in Lebanon early Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, amid a new wave of attacks by Hezbollah and Iran.

“The IDF began striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut,” the army said in a statement on Telegram.

The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported an Israeli drone attack which left two people dead in the south of the country.

The Lebanese Health Ministry reported 11 people injured in overnight Israeli air attacks in the south. A hospital was damaged, according to the press release.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on either report.

Eyewitnesses in Beirut reported a total of seven Israeli attacks in the capital’s densely populated southern suburbs, an area considered a stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. There were no initial reports of casualties.

The Israeli army has repeatedly called on the population to leave the area.

Air raid warnings were heard in northern Israel early Saturday after Hezbollah fired projectiles. Israeli media reported damage to cars and homes from a rocket explosion near the border.

Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for several attacks.

The Israeli army also accused Hezbollah of being responsible for an attack on a UN military observation post on Friday, in which three soldiers were injured, some seriously.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission has monitored the border region since 1978.

Rockets fired at Israel from Iran

Residents of the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv were forced to seek safety around midday Saturday as police reported several hits from suspected Iranian rocket fire.

Four people were injured, according to Israeli emergency services Magen David Adom.

Israeli media reported that houses in the Tel Aviv suburbs were badly damaged.

Iran again used cluster munitions, which are widely ostracized internationally, in the missile attack, according to reports.

Israeli media also reported that a drone launched by the Houthi militia from Yemen was intercepted while heading towards the city of Eilat.

The Israeli army also recorded several rocket attacks from Iran overnight.

“Search and rescue forces, both reserve and regular forces, are en route to sites in central Israel where reports of strikes have been received,” the Israeli military said.

Attacks on the Iranian nuclear power plant in Bushehr and Tehran

An airstrike near the Bushehr nuclear power plant killed a plant security guard and damaged a building at the site in the Gulf, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported Saturday.

IRNA said the projectile hit near a fence around the site and there was no damage to main parts of the power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iranian authorities had informed it of the attack.

There have been four attacks near the power plant since the war began on February 28, according to Iranian reports.

This facility, Iran’s only nuclear power plant, is about 760 kilometers south of Tehran. The Russian company Rosatom is currently building a second block on this installation, in operation since 2011.

Furthermore, the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported airstrikes on the special petrochemical zone of Mahshahr, at the entrance to the Gulf. It reported three strikes and large explosions, citing the governor’s office.

Fajr 1 and 2, Rijal and Amirkabir companies were hit, the agency, linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said, adding that deaths and injuries were likely.

The Israeli army refused to comment on this information.

Tasnim reported that a complete evacuation of all active industrial units in the region had been ordered.

The Israeli military reported attacks on Iranian leaders’ facilities in Tehran on Friday, targeting air defense and weapons production. Residents in the north and west of the city reported explosions.

Attack on Iran-Iraq border post

Tasnim further reported that the Shalamcheh border crossing near the town of Khorramshahr near the border with Iraq was hit by a US-Israeli strike which caused serious damage. Shalamcheh is a major commercial hub.

Iraq’s official INA news agency reported that one person was killed and five injured in the attack, and that the crossing was closed to all traffic.

Attacks around the Gulf

In retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks launched on February 28, Iran has also targeted Gulf countries it considers allies of the United States.

During the night, residents of Bahrain were urged to seek shelter while in Dubai, debris from aerial interceptions fell onto the facades of buildings in two separate incidents. No injuries were reported, authorities said.