Israeli strikes pound Lebanese coastal city after residents evacuate

TYRE: Israeli jets struck multiple buildings in Lebanon's southern coastal city of Tyre on Wednesday, sending large clouds of black smoke into the air.

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.

Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group meanwhile fired another barrage of rockets into Israel, including two that set off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv before being intercepted. A cloud of smoke could be seen in the sky from the hotel where US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was staying on his latest visit to the region to try to renew cease-fire talks.

Hezbollah began firing rockets, missiles and drones into Israel, drawing retaliatory airstrikes, after Hamas' Oct 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza triggered the war there. All-out war erupted in Lebanon last month after Israeli strikes killed Hezbollah's top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and most of his senior commanders. Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon earlier this month.

The Israeli military said Tuesday that one of its airstrikes in recent weeks killed Hashem Safieddine, a senior Hezbollah leader and cleric who was widely expected to succeed Nasrallah.

Tyre, a provincial capital, had largely been spared in the Israel-Hezbollah war, but strikes in an around the city have intensified recently.

The ancient city of Tyre, about 80 km (50 miles) south of Beirut, is known for its pristine beaches, ancient harbor and imposing Roman ruins and hippodrome, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is among Lebanon's largest cities and a vibrant metropolis popular with tourists.

The city's history extends to the 5th century B C E. The buildings struck on Wednesday were between several heritage sites, including the hippodrome and a cluster of seaside sites associated with the ancient Phoenicians and the Crusaders.

The Israeli military issued evacuation warnings a few hours prior for dozens of buildings in the heart of the city. It told residents to move north of the Awali River, dozens of km (miles) to the north.

Avichay Adraee, an Israeli military spokesman, said on the platform X that there were Hezbollah assets in the area of the evacuation warning, without elaborating or providing evidence.

The city is in southern Lebanon, where the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah has a strong presence, and its legislators are members of the group or its allies. But Tyre is also home to civilians with no ties to the group, including a sizable Christian community.

First responders from Lebanon's Civil Defence used loudspeakers to warn residents to evacuate the area and helped older adults and others who had difficulty leaving.

Ali Safieddine, the head of the Civil Defence, told The Associated Press there were no casualties after seven strikes caused several buildings to collapse.

Over 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon since the conflict began late last year, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Over a million people have fled their homes since September.

On the Israeli side, attacks have killed around 60 people, half of them soldiers. Near-daily rocket barrages have emptied out communities across northern Israel, displacing some 60,000 people. In recent weeks Hezbollah has extended its range, launching scores of rockets every day and regularly targeting the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Most of the projectiles are intercepted or fall in open areas.