Middle East conflict spreads as Hezbollah attacks Israel, prompting strikes on Beirut; oil prices soar; drone hits UK base in Cyprus
Latest updates: US-Israel warn on Iran
The Israeli military said early on Monday it was striking Hezbollah across Lebanon, after the militant group launched missiles and drones towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader. The Shia Muslim group has long been one of Tehran’s principal allies in the Middle East.
Explosions were heard in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, according to witnesses. Lebanese security sources told Reuters that Israel had struck the city’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
The Israeli military urged people in nearly 50 villages in eastern and southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of possible retaliatory strikes after Hezbollah fired into Israel. Roads in southern Lebanon and leading out of Beirut’s southern suburbs were gridlocked early Monday with people fleeing.
