TYRE (AP) – Israeli jets struck multiple buildings in Lebanon’s southern coastal city of Tyre yesterday, sending up large clouds of black smoke, while Hezbollah confirmed that a top official widely expected to be the militant group’s next leader had been killed in an Israeli strike.
The state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli strike on the nearby town of Maarakeh killed three people. There were no reports of casualties in Tyre, where the Israeli military had issued evacuation warnings prior to the strikes.
Hezbollah meanwhile confirmed that Hashem Safieddine had been killed in an announcement yesterday, one day after Israel said it had killed Safieddine in a strike earlier this month in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Safieddine, a powerful cleric within the party ranks, had been expected to succeed Hassan Nasrallah, one of the group’s founders, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last month.
Tyre, a provincial capital, had largely been spared in the Israel-Hezbollah war, but strikes around the city have intensified recently.
The 2,500-year-old city, about 80 kilometres south of Beirut, is known for its pristine beaches, ancient harbour and imposing Roman ruins and hippodrome, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The buildings struck yesterday were between several heritage sites, including the hippodrome and a cluster of seaside sites associated with the ancient Phoenicians and the Crusaders.
First responders from Lebanon’s Civil Defense used loudspeakers to warn residents to evacuate the area and helped older adults and others who had difficulty leaving. Head of the Civil Defence Ali Safieddine told The Associated Press there were no casualties.
Health official in Tyre Dr Wissam Ghazal said the strikes hit six buildings, flattening four of them, around 2.5 hours after the evacuation warnings. People displaced by the strikes could be seen in parks and sitting on the sides of nearby roads.
