Israeli occupation forces carried out a series of airstrikes targeting residential neighborhoods in the Haret Hreik area, located in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon's capital.

Local sources reported significant destruction, with six buildings leveled to the ground. The airstrikes are part of a broader Israeli offensive launched on Monday against southern Lebanon and the Bekaa region in the east, which has claimed the lives of more than 700 people, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

Videos circulating on social media revealed the scale of the destruction, and Israeli media reported that approximately 2,000 tons of explosives were dropped on Beirut’s southern suburb during the assault. The devastation prompted ongoing rescue efforts as emergency teams searched through the rubble for survivors and injured individuals.

Israeli military officials claimed that F-35 aircraft were used in the airstrikes, deploying bunker-buster bombs. The Israeli Army radio suggested that the attacks were aimed at a “central HQ of Hezbollah.” However, local media outlets have criticized the operation as a failure, describing the destruction as "devastating."

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the Israeli attack, stating that it reflects Israel's disregard for international calls for a ceasefire. In the wake of the assault, Israeli media disclosed that the Israeli government had informed the United States of the strike shortly before it was carried out.

However, conflicting reports emerged from Washington. While Israeli sources claimed the US had been briefed just minutes before the operation, two senior American officials, speaking to Axios, refuted this, stating they had no prior knowledge. A White House official later confirmed that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the airstrikes by his national security team, and Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh reiterated that the US had no advance warning of the attack.

Singh further clarified that while the US regularly shares intelligence with Israel, the country had no involvement in this particular operation. The Pentagon refrained from providing further details about a conversation between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant during the attack, including whether the strike was aimed at Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

The latest Israeli strikes have fueled growing tensions, with more than 700 Lebanese civilians killed in recent days as Israel intensifies its operations in the region. (ILKHA)