Blasts hit Beirut as Israel warns of strikes on Hezbollah finance arm
Israel says it will attack ‘infrastructure’ of US-sanctioned Al-Qard Al-Hassan, calling on people to move away from its facilities
Hundreds of Beirut residents fled their homes late on Sunday with multiple explosions heard across the Lebanese capital, as Israel prepared to attack sites linked to the financial operations of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group and told people to leave those areas immediately.
Reuters witnesses saw dense plumes of black smoke billowing in the air after at least 10 blasts.
Eyewitnesses, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a building located in the Chiyah neighbourhood in the southern suburbs of Beirut was reduced to rubble and the few people in the area had fled ahead of the explosion, resulting in no casualties.
There was no immediate information on what caused the blasts, or further details of any casualties. Panicked crowds clogged the streets and caused traffic jams in some parts of Beirut as they tried to get to neighbourhoods thought to be safer, witnesses said.
An Israeli military spokesperson said earlier in a statement posted on social media platform X that it “will begin attacking infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association - get away from it immediately”.