Israel launched fresh strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs early Thursday, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US president-elect Donald Trump spoke about the "Iranian threat".
The Israeli premier was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump, calling the re-election "history's greatest comeback".
Over the phone on Wednesday, the pair "agreed to work together for Israel's security" and "discussed the Iranian threat", Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
Not long afterwards, the Israeli military launched its latest strikes on Iran-backed Hezbollah's main bastion of south Beirut, with AFP footage showing orange flashes and plumes of smoke over the densely populated suburb.
The Israeli army had issued evacuation orders ahead of the strikes, calling on people to leave four neighborhoods, including one near the international airport.
In Lebanon's east, the country's health ministry said Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed 40 people, with rescuers combing the rubble for survivors.
"The series of Israeli enemy strikes on the Bekaa Valley and Baalbek" killed "40 people and injured 53", the ministry said in a statement.
