Israeli warplanes carried out a wave of airstrikes overnight and into Wednesday targeting Hezbollah sites in Beirut’s southern suburbs and across parts of southern and eastern Lebanon, as the Israeli military reiterated evacuation warnings for civilians in areas it said were being used by the group.

The Israeli military said certain strikes targeted Hezbollah command centers and weapons storage facilities in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, an area known as Dahiyeh and widely regarded as a stronghold of the group.

According to the army, the operations followed earlier strikes Tuesday on a Hezbollah command center in the coastal city of Tyre. The military said precautions were taken to reduce civilian risk, including advance warnings to residents, the use of precision-guided munitions and aerial surveillance.

“The Israeli army is operating with determination against the Hezbollah terrorist organization as a result of the terrorist organization’s decision to deliberately attack Israel on behalf of the Iranian regime,” the military said in a statement, adding that it “will not tolerate any harm to the residents of the State of Israel.”

Ahead of the latest strikes, the Israeli military renewed its evacuation warning to residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs, particularly in the Haret Hreik and Burj al-Barajneh neighborhoods.

Earlier in the day, an Israeli airstrike struck an apartment in the Aisha Bakkar neighborhood of central Beirut. The identity of the target was initially unclear, but it later emerged that the person targeted was a member of Hamas. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it was reinforcing its forces along the northern border with Lebanon amid the ongoing fighting with Hezbollah.

Following a fresh operational assessment, Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered the Golani Brigade to move from the Southern Command to the Northern Command.

“Subsequently, and in accordance with a situation assessment, it will be decided whether to reinforce with additional forces,” the military said.

Across Lebanon, local media and health authorities reported widespread strikes and mounting casualties.

Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes in the town of al-Shahabiya in the Tyre district killed seven people and wounded 11 others.

In the eastern Bekaa Valley, a strike in the town of Tammineh al-Tahta killed seven people and injured 18, while another strike in Ali al-Nahri wounded five people, the ministry said.

Lebanon’s state news agency also reported that three people were killed early Wednesday in a strike in the Bint Jbeil area of southern Lebanon.

A separate drone strike in the town of Braachit wounded two Syrian nationals, one of them seriously. Both were taken to Tebnine Governmental Hospital.

In Tebnine, a drone struck the lower level of the new Ghatimi Center building at dawn, leaving several people wounded. Additional drone strikes targeted a car showroom in the town of Shaqra and a building along the road to Nabatieh al-Fawqa.

One person was killed in the city of Nabatieh when a drone targeted Mahmoud Faqih Street, while Israeli warplanes also carried out an airstrike on the nearby town of al-Babliyah.

Drones were reported flying over villages in the Zahrani area throughout the morning.

Further south, the town of al-Hanniyeh in the Tyre district came under artillery shelling and was also struck by a drone, while a house targeted in the town of al-Hmairi left several people with minor injuries.

According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, Israeli warplanes also struck the towns of Tayri, Bint Jbeil and Zibqin following predawn strikes on Majdal and Tebnine.

In the Bekaa Valley, heavy airstrikes were reported throughout the day. A strike near the Riyaq-Baalbek highway targeted the Tammineh plain, while a drone strike on the town of al-Nasiriyah wounded two people, one of them critically.

Israeli warplanes also struck an area between Ali al-Nahri and al-Nasiriyah and carried out an airstrike on the town of Shaat north of Baalbek, though no injuries were reported there.

Other strikes also targeted Srayeen, Tammineh al-Tahta and the Ramliyeh area on the outskirts of Ali al-Nahri–Srayeen, where a building was hit.

In southern Lebanon, three young men were killed shortly after midnight when an Israeli airstrike hit the house where they were staying in al-Sharqiyah, destroying it completely. They were identified as Jihad Shuaib, Hussein Hassan Shuaib and Mahdi Hussein Shuaib.

Israeli warplanes also carried out a nighttime strike on the outskirts of the town of Sarira in the Dahr al-Harf area along the Sarira-Jezzine road.

In Kfartabnit, paramedic Mohammad Kajak of the Islamic Health Authority was killed in an airstrike on the town. In Jibshit, the al-Kafami prayer hall was targeted in another strike.

Airstrikes also hit areas near the public school in the town of Arabsalim as well as the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported additional casualties from other strikes, including four wounded in Tebnine, one killed and two wounded in Zalaya, five killed and five wounded in Qana, and one killed and eight wounded in al-Housh.