A column of smoke rose over the capital’s southern suburbs, AFPTV footage showed, following a warning from the Israeli military for residents to evacuate three areas.
Further south, overnight Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling hit the flashpoint southern town of Khiam, 6km from the border, Lebanon’s state-run national news agency (NNA) reported early on Sunday.
The bombardment came after Israel’s military reported a “heavy rocket barrage” on Haifa late on Saturday and said a synagogue was hit, wounding two civilians.
Israel has escalated its bombing of Lebanon since Sept 23 and has since sent in ground troops, following almost a year of limited, cross-border exchanges of fire begun by Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in support of Hamas in Gaza.
Israel’s military chief said on Saturday Hezbollah had already “paid a big price,” but Israel will keep fighting until tens of thousands of its residents displaced from the north can return safely.
Beirut’s southern suburbs were veiled in smoke on Sunday, following repeated Israeli bombardment a day earlier of the Hezbollah stronghold.
The Israeli military said aircraft had targeted “a weapons storage facility” and a Hezbollah “command centre”.
Hezbollah fired around 80 projectiles at Israel on Saturday, the military said.
Lebanon rescuers mourned
Israeli forces also shelled the area along the Litani River, which flows across southern Lebanon, NNA said on Sunday.
The agency earlier reported strikes on the southern city of Tyre, including in a neighbourhood near Unesco-listed ancient ruins. Israel’s military late on Saturday said it had hit Hezbollah facilities in the Tyre area.
In Lebanon’s east, the health ministry said an Israeli strike in the Bekaa Valley killed six people including three children.
Hezbollah said it fired a guided missile that set an Israeli tank ablaze in the southwest Lebanon village of Shamaa, about 5km from the border.
Late on Saturday, Hezbollah said it had targeted five military bases including the Stella Maris naval base.
In eastern Lebanon, funerals were held for 14 civil defence staff killed in an Israeli strike on Thursday.
“They weren’t involved with any (armed) party… they were just waiting to answer calls for help,” said Ali al-Zein, a relative of one of the dead.
Lebanese authorities say more than 3,452 people have been killed since October last year, with most casualties recorded since September.
Israel announced the death of a soldier in southern Lebanon, bringing to 48 the number killed fighting Hezbollah.