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Israel hit Beirut with airstrikes on Friday that the military said targeted what it called military “infrastructure” in the Lebanese capital, as the US warned Iran it could target the country’s universities as the war in the Middle East continues.
Israel has invaded southern Lebanon and vowed to destroy all Lebanese villages in the border area as it battles the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, which has become the most violent of the US-Israel war with Iran.
It also attacked Beirut, especially the southern areas controlled by Hezbollah. Earlier on Friday, the Israeli military warned residents to leave seven southern areas, saying strikes were imminent.
Reuters reporters heard huge explosions echo across the city at sunset on Friday, as many in the country – home to Muslims and Christians – marked Good Friday despite growing tensions.
Lebanese media said the strikes hit areas in the south. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The Israeli military said it was “attacking terrorist infrastructure in Beirut,” without giving details.
Israel has vowed to annex southern Lebanon up to the Litani River as part of a “security zone” it says aims to protect its citizens in the north.
More than a million people have fled the area, as well as other parts of the country, as families fleeing Israeli strikes say they are tired of repeated clashes.
Israel launched its operation after Hezbollah fired into Israel on March 2 in coordination with Iran after the US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran.
Conflict has escalated, with Iranian strikes on Israel, US bases and the Gulf states.
Iran threatens universities
This week, Iran warned that it would retaliate against American universities in the region after its universities were attacked.
As a precaution, the American University of Beirut has moved classes online on Monday and Tuesday.
On Friday, the US ambassador in Beirut warned that “Iran and its allied militants may aim to target Lebanese universities.”
The embassy also warned US citizens to leave the country.
More than 1,300 people have died in Israeli strikes, and nearly one-fifth of Lebanon’s population has been displaced. Israel issued evacuation orders covering about 15 percent of Lebanon’s territory.
Tens of thousands of Lebanese people remained in their homes in southern Lebanon, even as the Lebanese army withdrew from the area to avoid confrontation with Israeli forces.
They include some 9,000 Lebanese Christians living in a cluster of border towns who told Reuters they were determined to stay despite the military advance.
As the war in the Middle East enters its second month, an estimated one million people in Lebanon have been displaced, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Lebanon and Syria are facing ‘triple emergencies’ from direct damage to infrastructure and basic needs, rising oil prices and wider political consequences, said David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee.
More UN peacekeepers were injured
On Friday and Friday, three peacekeepers of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were seriously injured – two of them – when an explosion occurred at a UN site in southern Lebanon near the border, said a UNIFIL spokesman.
It is not known what caused the explosion, said a police spokesperson.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident.
Three UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed earlier this week.
