Israel carried out repeated strikes on central Beirut on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people, including Mohammad Sherri, director of political programmes at Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV, AFP reported quoting Lebanese authorities. The Israeli military also announced plans to strike river crossings in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon was drawn into the broader Middle East war on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel responded with intensive airstrikes across Lebanon and launched ground operations in the south, targeting multiple regions, including central Beirut.