BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Israel carried out a series of massive airstrikes overnight Thursday that hit suburbs of Beirut and cut off the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, where tens of thousands of people are fleeing Israeli bombardments.
The explosions that rocked the southern suburbs of Beirut caused huge clouds of smoke and flames in the night sky and shook buildings miles away in the Lebanese capital. The Israeli army has not yet revealed the target of the operation and there is still no information about casualties. The state-run Lebanese National News Agency reported that more than 10 consecutive airstrikes were recorded in the area.
On the other hand, the Israeli army stated that Hezbollah had launched around 100 rockets against Israel on Friday, while the fighting between Israel and the political-paramilitary group continues.
Israel killed another senior leader of Hezbollah
The Israeli army also claimed on Friday that an attack carried out the day before in the Lebanese capital killed Mohammed Rashid Skafi, head of Hezbollah's communication division. In their statement, they asserted that Skafi was "a prominent Hezbollah terrorist responsible for the communications unit since 2000," and was "closely linked" to senior militia officials.
The attack on the border between Lebanon and Syria, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Beirut, led to the closure of the road near the busy border crossing of Masnaa.
Israel explained that it attacked the crossing because it was being used by Hezbollah to pass military equipment across the border and indicated that its fighter jets targeted a tunnel used to smuggle weapons into Lebanon from Iran and other allies.
It is believed that Hezbollah has received much of its weaponry from Iran through Syria. The group is present on both sides of that border and has fought in Syria on the side of President Bashar Assad's forces.
A video from The Associated Press showed that the attacks caused two huge craters on each side of the road. People could be seen carrying bags while crossing on foot after leaving behind cars that couldn't move forward due to the road conditions.
The new wave of attacks occurred after Israel warned the population to evacuate communities in the south of Lebanese territory that are outside the security zone delimited by the United Nations following the one-month war fought in 2006 between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.