11 killed as Israel bombards more targets in Lebanon, toll hits over 1,600; more than 250,000 displaced

An Israeli airstrike on northeast Lebanon killed 11 people on Sunday morning, a day after the Lebanese group Hizbollah confirmed the death of multiple commanders, including longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The Israeli army says it's carrying out attacks on Hizbollah targets in Lebanon.

The Israeli military said the air force had "struck dozens of Hizbollah terror targets in Lebanon, including launchers that were aimed toward Israeli territory, structures in which weapons were stored and additional Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure".

Projectile intercepted

The navy had intercepted a projectile approaching Israel from the area of the Red Sea and another eight projectiles coming from Lebanon had fallen in open areas, it said in a statement.

 A child sits on a street as displaced families stay on the roads in southern Beirut. Reuters

‘Four times as many’

Environment Minister Nasser Yassin said the government estimates that about 250,000 people have left their homes and taken refuge in government-run shelters and informal ones. However, he told the Associated Press the total number is about "four times as many directly affected and/or displaced outside the shelters.”

 A child carries bottles of water as displaced families receive water and food next to Mohammad Al-Amin mosque in Beirut. Reuters

The UN said that as of Friday, 211,319 people were forced to relocate, and that was before some intensive Israeli airstrikes over Beirut’s southern suburbs in recent days.

Many sleep on the streets

The Lebanese government has converted schools and other facilities into temporary shelters. Still, many are sleeping on the streets or in public squares, as the government and non-governmental organisations try to find them places to stay.

In Beirut, displaced families spent the night on the benches at Zaitunay Bay, a string of restaurants and cafes on Beirut's waterfront where private security usually shoos away any loiterers.

On Sunday morning, families with nothing more than a duffle bag of clothes had rolled out mats to sleep on and poured tea for themselves.

 Israeli army tanks and armoured vehicles deployed in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on Sunday. AFP

Lebanon's top Christian cleric, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, urged diplomacy in the conflict between Israel and Lebanese group Hizbollah, and said Israel's killing of the group's chief, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, had wounded the hearts of the Lebanese people.

Balance of power

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday Nasrallah's killing was a necessary step toward "changing the balance of power in the region for years to come".

"Nasrallah was not a terrorist, he was the terrorist," Netanyahu said in a statement, warning of challenging days ahead.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was moved to a secure location in Iran after Nasrallah's killing, sources told Reuters.

Tehran called for a UN Security Council meeting on Israel's actions in Lebanon and elsewhere in the region, warning against any attacks on its diplomatic facilities and representatives.

Reuters