Israeli military instructed to demolish Lebanese homes in 'frontline villages', minister says

Instructed to destroy all bridges over Lebanon's Litani River, which Katz said were used for "terrorist activity"

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz ​said on Sunday that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the military to accelerate the demolition of Lebanese homes in "frontline villages" to end threats to Israeli communities.

The military was instructed to immediately destroy all bridges over Lebanon's Litani River, which he said were used for "terrorist activity", Katz said in a statement released by his office.

The Israeli military said early on Saturday it was striking Hezbollah targets in Beirut after issuing an evacuation warning for seven neighbourhoods in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Israel has been stepping up airstrikes against Lebanon in the third week of its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah.

The Hezbollah-Israel conflict has become the deadliest spillover of the US-Israeli war on Iran since the Lebanese fighter groups fired at Israel in support of Tehran on March 2, with more than 1,000 people killed in Lebanon and over one million displaced.

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Earlier, the United Arab Emirates authorities said on Friday they had dismantled a “terrorist network” funded and operated by Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran, and arrested its members.

According to the UN, more than one million people have been displaced in Lebanon as Israeli strikes escalated across the country, with nearly one-third of those uprooted being children.

"Overnight and into the early morning, Israeli strikes on central Beirut reportedly caused additional casualties," UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said during a news conference, adding that residential areas were struck, causing a multi-story building to collapse.

Pointing to Israeli attacks on health care facilities, Haq said: "Earlier today, authorities reported significant damage sustained by three government hospitals following Israeli strikes, injuring health care workers."

He added that "more than one million people are now displaced, including 367,000 children — that's nearly one third of the displaced," as fighting between Israeli forces and armed groups in Lebanon showed no signs of slowing.