BEIRUT: Four civilians were killed early this morning as Israeli airstrikes targeted residential areas in Beirut, Lebanon. The strikes destroyed the upper floor of an apartment in the Kola district, with local reports stating Israeli drones had been circling the area since yesterday evening.

Following the Beirut attack, sources suggest that Israel may now focus its military operations on the Beqaa region. In northern Israel, sirens blared last night, warning residents of potential danger. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) later clarified that the sirens were triggered by a missile launched from Lebanon, which was successfully intercepted by Israeli defences.

Hassan Nasrallah, the influential leader and co-founder of Hezbollah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike yesterday. Nasrallah, who had led the group for 32 years, was reportedly hiding in an underground bunker in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold. Israeli forces, as part of ‘Operation New Order’, employed bunker-busting bombs to destroy the facility.

Alongside Nasrallah, five other high-ranking Hezbollah officials were killed, including Nasrallah's daughter Zainab and top commander Ali Karakeh. Nasrallah was a dominant Shia figure in the Middle East and his death marks a significant blow to Hezbollah.

Although Hashim Safideen, Nasrallah's cousin and the head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, was poised to take over the leadership, there are unconfirmed reports that he too may have been killed in the airstrike.