Israeli air strikes hit Hezbollah鈥檚 south Beirut stronghold on Friday and crumpled an 11-storey building, official media reported and AFP images showed, after Israeli military evacuation warnings.
The latest raids follow intense Israeli attacks in recent days on south Beirut as well as other areas in Lebanon鈥檚 south and east, where Israel says it has been targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
Israeli strikes on Friday also hit south Lebanon, the National News Agency said, as the Israeli military issued warnings for part of the coastal city of Tyre and聽 swathes of nearby areas, as well as several other locations in the country鈥檚 south.
The state-run NNA said Israeli warplanes launched strikes on two buildings just inside Beirut鈥檚 southern suburbs, near the centre of the capital.
An AFP photographer captured the moment a missile struck the middle of an 11-storey building housing shops, a gym and apartments, located on a usually busy street in the heavily populated Shiyah district.
The impact sparked a fireball and caused the structure to collapse on top of itself, littering the road with debris.
The NNA reported people fled an adjacent neighbourhood after Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee warned on social media platform X that the military would strike 鈥楬ezbollah facilities and interests鈥� in Shiyah.
The NNA earlier Friday reported several other Israeli strikes on south Beirut, adding that 鈥榯hick smoke was seen rising from the vicinity of the Lebanese University鈥� in the Hadath neighbourhood.
AFPTV footage showed plumes of smoke over the southern suburbs.
The Israeli military said in a statement its 鈥榝ighter jets completed a new round of strikes鈥� on Beirut鈥檚 southern suburbs.
The NNA said that for the first time, Israeli troops on Friday entered the village of Deir Mimas, around 2.5 kilometres from the border.
鈥楨nemy reconnaissance aircraft鈥� were flying over Deir Mimas, which has been largely emptied of residents, warning people 鈥榥ot to leave their homes鈥�, the NNA reported.
Hezbollah said its fighters targeted Israeli troops in the area with rockets and artillery.
The Israeli army has been seeking to advance at several points along the border, most prominently in the town of Khiam, where Hezbollah said it repeatedly attacked troops on Friday.
Israel鈥檚 military said on Friday it had killed two commanders involved in Hamas鈥檚 October 7, 2023 attack, pressing its north Gaza offensive a day after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants over the war.
The International Criminal Court on Thursday said that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant may bear 鈥榗riminal responsibility鈥� for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare and other crimes against humanity against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The Hague-based court鈥檚 decision drew mixed reactions from world leaders, with some vowing to arrest the Israelis if they entered their country鈥檚 territory.
Other leaders, including US president Joe Biden, have condemned the court鈥檚 decision which Netanyahu dismissed as 鈥榓bsurd鈥� and 鈥榙riven by anti-Semitic hatred of Israel鈥�.
Israel has similarly pushed back against accusations of genocide in its war against Hamas, with a case brought before the International Court of Justice in December and, more recently, a report issued by a UN special committee last week.
On the ground in Gaza, the military said an air strike on the territory鈥檚 north killed five Hamas militants including two company commanders 鈥榳ho participated in the October 7 massacre鈥� last year.
Medics said dozens were killed or missing after an overnight Israeli raid on Beit Lahia and nearby Jabalia, which are among the targets of a sweeping Israeli assault on north Gaza.
The civil defence agency was not immediately able to provide an exact toll.
Biden, in a statement responding to the ICC鈥檚 arrest warrants, called them 鈥榦utrageous鈥�, vowing to 鈥榓lways stand with Israel against threats to its security鈥�.
China, which like Israel and the United States is not a member of the ICC, urged the court to 鈥榰phold an objective and just position鈥�.
Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that Beijing 鈥榮upports any efforts... that are conducive to achieving fairness and justice鈥�.
The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas鈥檚 military chief Mohammed Deif, accusing him of responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity over the attack on Israel that sparked the war, as well as 鈥榮exual and gender-based violence鈥� against hostages.
Israel said it killed Deif in July, but Hamas has not confirmed his death.
The Palestinian Authority and Hamas both welcomed the warrants 鈥� though without mentioning Deif.
Iran, which backs Hamas, Hezbollah and other armed groups in the region, praised the arrest warrants against the Israeli leaders.
鈥楾his means the end and political death of the Zionist regime,鈥� said Revolutionary Guards chief General Hossein Salami.
The ICC鈥檚 move theoretically limits the movement of Netanyahu, as any of the court鈥檚 124 national members would be obliged to arrest him on their territory.
But on Friday, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban said he would invite Netanyahu to visit and defy the 鈥榗ynical鈥� and 鈥榩olitical鈥� ICC warrant.
The Israeli prime minister, in a video statement, said that 鈥榥o outrageous anti-Israel decision will prevent us from continuing to defend our country in every way.鈥�
At least 44,056 people have been killed in Gaza in more than 13 months of war, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-ruled territory鈥檚 health ministry which the United Nations considers reliable.
It was triggered by the deadliest attack in Israeli history, which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
More than 11 months of cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah over the Gaza conflict escalated into all-out war in September, with Israel conducting an extensive bombing campaign and sending ground troops into southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese health ministry said at least 52 people were killed on Thursday in Israeli strikes, including some 40 dead in Lebanon鈥檚 east, taking its overall death toll since October 2023 to 3,583 people.