Israel strikes Beirut again

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, in Beirut, on Saturday. PIC/PTI

Israel expanded its bombardment in Lebanon on Saturday, hitting Beirut's southern suburbs with 12 airstrikes and striking a Palestinian refugee camp deep in northern Lebanon for the first time. The attack on the Beddawi refugee camp near the northern city of Tripoli killed an official with Hamas's military wing, along with his wife and two young daughters, the Palestinian militant group said in a statement.

Tripoli is much farther north than the majority of Israel's strikes, which have been concentrated in southern Lebanon and Beirut. Israel has killed several Hamas officials in Lebanon since the Israel-Hamas war began in October last year, in addition to most of the top leadership of Hezbollah. At least six people were killed in more than a dozen Israeli airstrikes overnight and into Saturday, according to National News Agency, Lebanon's official news agency.

The Israeli military said special forces were carrying out targeted ground raids against Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, destroying missiles, launchpads, watchtowers and weapons storage facilities. The military said troops also dismantled tunnel shafts that Hezbollah used to approach the Israeli border.

Some 1,400 Lebanese, including Hezbollah fighters and civilians, have been killed and some 1.2 million driven from their homes since Israel escalated its strikes in late September aiming to cripple Hezbollah and push it away from the countries' shared border. On Tuesday, Israel launched what it called a limited ground operation into southern Lebanon. Nine Israeli troops have been killed in close fighting in the area in the past few days, the military said.

UK confirms final flight out of Lebanon

The UK government on Saturday confirmed its final charter plane to fly British nationals out of Lebanon as the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel intensifies and tensions in the region escalate. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer once again urged British nationals still in the country to come forward to be evacuated. "To everybody listening who may be in that position: now is the time to leave, we have got the plans in place. So please come forward and we can make sure that they are evacuated," Starmer told reporters during a visit to Cheshire on Friday.

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