dpa
Beirut
The Israeli military has attacked the historic southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre, local media and residents reported on Wednesday, with broadcasters showing images of thick clouds of smoke rising from buildings in the city centre.
The Israeli military had earlier issued evacuation orders for residents in Tyre, one of the oldest cities in the world and home to a large Christian population.
The military designated parts of the eastern city centre as a target for potential strikes. Residents were told to seek safety north of the Awali River, which is about about 40 kilometres from Tyre.
Witnesses said panic broke out among residents still in the city, with some fleeing to the beach in the hope of finding safety. At least six air raids were said to have taken place.
Lebanese news agency NNA reported that the civil defence authority was trying to regulate traffic. Lebanon has no official airstrike shelters for the population. There was no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) about the strikes.
Meanwhile, for the second day in a row, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah fired rockets toward the greater Tel Aviv area.
An air-raid siren sounded in the city centre on Wednesday morning, sending people rushing to shelters as explosions were heard.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia claimed that it had hit an Israeli intelligence centre north of Tel Aviv. The Israeli army, however, said that two missiles fired from Lebanon had been intercepted by missile defence.
Israeli media reported that cars in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, were hit and damaged by falling rocket fragments. The Magen David Adom rescue service reported that a few people were injured as they scrambled toward safety.
On Tuesday, Hezbollah fired five rockets at the Tel Aviv area.
Israel attempted to root out the Palestinian militant organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip following their unprecedented terrorist attack on southern Israel last October. In recent weeks it has steadily aimed its fire at Lebanon’s Hezbollah, whose rockets have threatened northern Israelis for years.
