Israel army announces new strikes targeting Hezbollah in east Lebanon

The Israeli military said it launched new strikes on Saturday targeting Hezbollah in eastern Lebanon after intense bombardments on the group's stronghold in southern Beirut overnight.

"The IDF (military) is currently striking terror targets belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organisation in the area of Beqaa" in eastern Lebanon, it said in a statement. It added that sirens sounded in northern Israel, after Hezbollah said it struck there.

Lebanon's health ministry said Saturday that hospitals in Beirut's southern suburbs would be evacuated after heavy Israeli strikes in the area, urging hospitals in unaffected areas to stop admitting non-urgent cases.

The explosions that shook southern Beirut were the fiercest since Israel and Hezbollah went to war in 2006.

Israel said it was attacking Hezbollah's headquarters, while Israeli television networks reported that Nasrallah was the target, although a source close to the group said he was "fine".

The Israeli army declined to comment on Nasrallah but claimed early Saturday that its air strikes killed "Muhammad Ali Ismail, the commander of Hezbollah's missile unit in southern Lebanon, and his deputy" as well as "other senior officials".