Israel bombards Beirut with more air strikes on eve of October 7 anniversary

Damaged and burned buildings are seen on Monday (October 7) in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, with plumes of smoke rising from the rubble, Reuters reports. Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah is headquartered, were hit by air strikes around midnight as Israel pursued nightly raids on the once-densely populated district. Israel's military said it had struck Hezbollah arms storage facilities in the Beirut area, and that secondary explosions were identified, indicating the presence of weaponry. Israel accuses Hezbollah of deliberately embedding its command centers and weaponry beneath residential buildings in the heart of Beirut. Hezbollah denies storing weapons among civilians. The growing conflict has raised fears that the United States, Israel's superpower ally, and Iran will be sucked into a wider war in the oil-producing Middle East. The Israeli military launched air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday (October 6) in the most intense bombardment of the Lebanese capital since sharply escalating its campaign against the Hezbollah group last month, Reuters reports. Large fireballs lit the darkened skyline and booms reverberated across Beirut. The Israeli military said fighter jets struck targets in Beirut belonging to Hezbollah's Intelligence Headquarters and weapons storage facilities. It said strikes also targeted Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa area. The Israeli bombardment came on the eve of the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack that triggered a war that has sparked protests worldwide and risks igniting a far wider war in the Middle East.