BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Two members of the Islamic Health Authority were killed on Tuesday in an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Siddiqine, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.
According to the NNA, the strike was the second to hit Siddiqine. Residents had gathered at the site following an initial raid when another airstrike targeted the area, resulting in the deaths of the two paramedics and additional civilian injuries.
The escalation extended beyond the border region to Beirut's southern suburbs, where Israeli warplanes carried out a new series of intense airstrikes without prior warning, causing significant damage to targeted buildings, NNA said.
The area had been under heavy bombardment since the morning, coinciding with intensive low-altitude flights by warplanes and drones. Explosions were heard across the capital.
The latest strikes in Beirut targeted the neighborhoods of Ruwaiss and Sfeir, according to NNA. The Israeli army said the raids were aimed at several senior members of Hezbollah.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for residents of about 80 towns and villages in southern Lebanon, signaling an expansion of its military operations in the region.
Israel said it was attacking both Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. And its ground troops crossed the Israeli-Lebanese border and have been deployed at "several points." ■
