Top updates: 31 killed as Israel strikes Lebanon after Hezbollah attack

Israel on Monday launched a barrage of strikes on Lebanon’s capital Beirut, killing 31 persons, reported AP.

The Israeli strikes came after Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said that it fired rockets and drones across the border in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei, 86, had served as Iran’s supreme leader since 1989. He controlled all branches of the government and the armed forces. Hezbollah is backed by Iran.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said that the Israeli airstrikes wounded 149 persons. About two-thirds of those killed were in southern Lebanon, it added.

Earlier, the Israeli military said that it had intercepted a projectile that crossed the border, adding that several others fell in open areas. No injuries or damage were reported, it added.

On Sunday, the United States and Israel hit targets in Iran. The two countries struck Iran’s ballistic missile sites and wiped out warships as part of an intensifying military campaign after Khamenei’s death.

More than 200 persons have been killed since the attack that killed Khamenei and other senior leaders, AP quoted Iranian leaders as having said. Tehran has vowed revenge and fired missiles at Israel and other countries across the Gulf in a counteroffensive.

The US on Sunday ⁠condemned Iran’s ‌attacks ‌in ⁠a joint ⁠statement with Bahrain, Jordan, ‌Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the ‌United Arab Emirates.

“The Islamic Republic’s...

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