Israel is continuing to subject Lebanon to strikes by land, sea and air, following the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah militants.
More than 50 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the attacks. Israeli jets have struck southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, and the main Beirut-Damascus road.
Hezbollah has hit Israeli towns with rocket attacks and Israeli sources said the group had fired on the northern port city of Haifa.
Hezbollah had said it would attack Haifa if Israeli planes bombed Beirut but denied firing any rockets at Israel’s third largest city.
However, it has killed at least two Israelis and injured dozens in rocket attacks into Israel in the past two days. The Israeli ambassador in Washington, Danny Ayalon, described the Haifa incident as a “major escalation” of the crisis.
Israel later bombed targets in southern Beirut, where Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah has offices, Lebanese security sources said.
A power plant was also reportedly hit. And Lebanon’s road to Damascus - the main arterial route - was closed by Israeli jet attacks in the central mountains region, Lebanese officials said. On Thursday, Israeli forces twice struck the international airport in Beirut. Mr Ayalon said the international community should make it clear to Iran and Syria - which Israel says form an “axis of terror” with Hezbollah and Palestinian militants Hamas - that they were “playing with fire”.
