'Heavy strikes' shake Beirut as Israel expands bombardment in Lebanon; claims over 400 Hezbollah operatives killed

Days after Iran launched ballistic missile attack on Israel, the latter shook southern suburb of Beirut with a dozen airstrikes, late Saturday into Sunday. According to Lebanese media, a series of intense Israeli airstrikes were carried out on southern Beirut, including th Chweifat area. 

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has claimed that over 400 Hezbollah operatives were killed during the ongoing operations till now. The Israeli airstrikes targeted Hezbollah-controlled areas, following the former's warning to residents to evacuate Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburbs. 

This comes after Iran launched ballistic missile attack on Israel on October 1, following the killing of Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah. Israeli government vowed retaliation to the missile attack and stressed that "Iran made a huge mistake". Notably, Hezbollah is an Iran-backed terror outfit, based in Lebanon. 

Israel also targeted a Palestinian refugee camp deep in the north, marking its attack on Hamas fighters for the first time. At least 18 people were killed and dozens injured the Israeli airsrike on a Gaza mosque in the early hours of Sunday, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. 

Call for a ceasefire 

As the conflicts in the middle east intensifies, thousands of pro-Palestine protestors took to streets across various cities of Europe, demanding a ceasefire. Heavy gathering were witnessed in European cities, with various raising slogans and flagging posters, calling for ceasefire. 

It is expected that the protests will continue over the weekend and peak on Monday, October 7, the anniversary of Hamas attack on Israel which claimed over 1,200 lives and took 250 hostage.