The southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, were bombed at least twice during the night, according to the France-Presse (AFP) news agency. An AFP journalist heard loud explosions and saw smoke rising into the sky. Simultaneously, the Israel Defense Forces announced on social media that it had “begun attacks on Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut.”
Lebanon was drawn into the ongoing conflict in the Middle East when Hezbollah launched mortars into Israel in retaliation for the air offensive launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel over Iran.
Israel responded with massive airstrikes across Lebanon and a ground offensive.
More than 1,300 dead and 1 million displaced
According to Lebanese authorities, the conflict left more than 1,300 people dead and more than a million displaced in 30 days, which represents more than a sixth of the country’s population.
On Friday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon announced that three “blue helmets” were injured due to an explosion, the origin of which has yet to be determined, inside one of the positions in the south of the country.
This is after three members of the mission, Indonesian soldiers, were killed in less than a week.
US talks about possible Iranian attacks on universities
Also on Friday, the United States (US) Embassy in Beirut warned of the possibility of Iran or allied armed groups attacking US universities in Lebanon.
In a statement, the diplomatic mission indicated that “Iran and affiliated militias may intend to attack universities in Lebanon” and highlighted that Tehran “has specifically threatened American universities throughout the Middle East.”
The State Department has recommended that U.S. citizens leave Lebanon “while commercial flights are still available,” according to the statement, which highlights the “volatile and unpredictable” nature of the security situation in the country.
“We urge U.S. citizens not to travel to Lebanon. We recommend that U.S. citizens who are in Lebanon and choose not to leave the country develop emergency contingency plans and be prepared to seek shelter if the situation worsens,” the statement continued.
The U.S. government has warned citizens that the Embassy in Lebanon “is providing limited passport services to U.S. citizens on an emergency basis” and that “all regular consular services are suspended until further notice.”
The warning comes after a recent wave of controversies in Lebanese political and media circles, following the dissemination of threats by groups linked to the pro-Iranian Lebanese militia Hezbollah, which identified institutions such as the American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University as potential targets.
