Israel has launched a series of strikes on Lebanon’s capital Beirut and orders evacuations in the country’s south, as it continues its offensive against Hezbollah
One blast flattened a building in the city centre – this isn’t the so-called Hezbollah heartland of southern Beirut, but an area surrounded by businesses and hotels.
The death toll from Israel’s overnight strikes in Beirut has risen to 10 from six, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
Citing the nation’s health ministry, it reports that the total number of wounded from the strikes has also risen to 27 – up from the 24.
Meanwhile, the US military says it has used powerful “deep penetrator” bombs to hit Iranian missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz; the vital waterway for transporting oil has been effectively blocked by Iran since the war began
Iran’s army chief warns of a “decisive” response after Israel killed security chief Ali Larijani, the most senior official to be killed since Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
His death deepens a crisis at the heart of Iran’s leadership, writes BBC Persian’s Amir Azimi
Retaliatory strikes by Iran and its allied militia groups continue – in Israel, two people are killed in Tel Aviv, with blasts and drone interceptions reported in Dubai, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
In Iran, residents are living in constant dread, with a woman in Tehran telling the BBC she’s too scared to go to work – leaving home “is like gambling with my life”
