Israeli strikes pummel south Beirut in intense 'fire belt'

Waves of strikes pounded Hezbollah's south Beirut stronghold on Tuesday in the most intense raids on the area in two months of full-scale war with Israel — a sign it was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah down to the last moments before any ceasefire takes hold.

Plumes of smoke also rose over Beirut as an Israeli strike targeted a residential building in the center of the capital, without prior warning.

Shortly after the Beirut strike, "a belt of fire encircled (Beirut's) southern suburbs, as raids targeted Burj al-Barajneh, Haret Hreik and Hadath, with smoke covering most of the southern suburbs and reaching Beirut," the NNA said — a sign that Israel was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah down to the last moments before any ceasefire takes hold.

The Israeli military had issued warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's suburbs and said it was striking Hezbollah targets, following earlier morning strikes.

"These strikes included 13 terror targets in the Dahieh area, a key Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut. Among the targets struck were a Hezbollah aerial defense unit center, an intelligence center, command center, weapons storage facilities," it said in a statement, adding "seven other targets struck were components of Hezbollah's financial system".

A ceasefire was still not a sure thing, but Israel’s security Cabinet, meeting Tuesday afternoon, was expected to approve the U.S.-backed proposal. Lebanese officials have said Hezbollah also supports the deal. If approved by all sides, the deal would be a major step towards ending the war that has inflamed tensions across the region and raised fears of an even wider conflict.