Evacuation order displaces thousands from coastal city
Israel issued forced evacuation threats covering most of Tyre, a coastal city in southern Lebanon, leading tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes. Some 20,000 people remain in the city despite the forced evacuation threats covering most of Tyre and a swath of the south.
Strikes kill children and wound dozens
An Israeli strike on Habbush killed two girls and wounded 22 people. A separate attack on al-Hawsh near Tyre wounded 18 people, including a child, three women and three paramedics.
The Lebanese Italian Hospital sustained significant damage from overnight strikes that destroyed two buildings near the facility. The blasts shattered windows and caused suspended ceilings to collapse inside the hospital. Despite the damage, the hospital's director told the state-run National News Agency that the facility would "remain open to provide the necessary medical care."
Widespread destruction across southern Lebanon
Israeli forces struck three buildings in and around Tyre on Saturday. One strike completely destroyed an 11-storey building, reducing it to rubble that covered a nearby gas station. A second raid levelled half of a five-storey building near the city, leaving the other half standing. A third strike targeted the Burj al-Shamali Palestinian refugee camp southeast of the city. Video captured the moment of an Israeli strike on a building in that district.
Beyond Tyre, Israeli forces blew up houses in the southern front-line villages of Aita al-Shaab and Ramyah. The military destroyed a bridge in eastern Lebanon and bombed bridges linking Samar with Mashghara, claiming they were being used by Hezbollah. An Israeli air attack destroyed a mosque in the town of Baraashit in the Bint Jbeil district.
Broader military campaign targets Hezbollah infrastructure
The Israeli military said on Saturday it had begun striking "Hezbollah infrastructure" in Beirut after destroying the bridge in eastern Lebanon to prevent the Iran-backed group's reinforcements from crossing. Two loud explosions were heard in the capital within half an hour early on Saturday, with smoke billowing from one of them. Local media reported two strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, which has been targeted repeatedly in recent days.
The bombing of bridges and other civilian infrastructure across southern Lebanon has drawn criticism from rights groups, which have warned that Israel appears to be trying to isolate the region. One Israeli soldier was killed during combat in southern Lebanon on Saturday.
Toll continues to mount
Lebanon's Health Ministry reported that at least 1,368 people have been killed in Israeli attacks and 4,138 wounded. More than one million people have been displaced from their homes. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon reported that a blast at one of its positions near the border wounded three peacekeepers, marking the third similar incident in days.
The sources also report that overnight strikes destroyed two buildings near the Lebanese Italian Hospital, according to AFP.