Fires erupt in southern Lebanon towns after intensive Israeli airstrikes

Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, causing fires in several towns.

An Israeli military statement said fighter jets conducted a new wave of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

Social media accounts circulated images of fires in the southern towns following the strikes.

According to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency, Israeli warplanes conducted over 50 airstrikes on border towns in southern Lebanon.

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified in recent days amid an escalation in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's deadly war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,400 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.