New strikes in Lebanon

VIDEO - The Israeli air force on Friday fired missiles at two bridges on the Beirut-Damascus highway, including one which is situated over the Zahrani river. A Hizbullah base in the southern town of Khiam was also hit by missiles. The navy bombarded launch pads used by Hizbullah to fire Katyusha rockets into northern Israel, the army said. Witnesses in Beirut said the Israeli Air Force again attacked the city's international airport, according to Hizbullah's television station al-Manar. Earlier, it was reported that the Air Force struck the town of Bint Jubail and a target in east Lebanon. A number of Arab news networks reported the Air Force warplanes attacked a fuel depot in al-Hayam in southern Lebanon. In recent hours movement of residents from south Lebanon and the city of Sidon towards Beirut has begun. Witnesses said many vehicles filled with passengers and supplies left the areas due to fears of IDF attacks in the region. Lebanese residents head north (Photo: Reuters) Many Lebanese are heading to gas stations to stock up on fuel. Lebanon's Energy Minister Muhammad Fanish, who is also Hizbullah's representative in the Lebanese government, asked the public not to stock up on fuel and not to rush to gas stations "in order to not create an unnecessary crisis," adding that Lebanon has enough fuel supplies for an entire month. Lebanon recently noted the beginning of the most successful tourist season in 20 years, and various hotels were reported to have record numbers of visitors. Tourists are now leaving and the airlines of Qatar and Bahrain have stopped flights to Beirut until further notice. Lebanon police reported that IAF aircrafts attacked a base of Ahmed Jibril's organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command, at the Bekaa Valley, only 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) away from the Syrian border. Earlier, Israeli planes struck the main highway linking Beirut to the Syrian capital Damascus, a Lebanese security source said. The jets struck at least five separate times along different points of the international route, the source said. Witnesses said the road was clear of traffic after earlier congestion as tourists fled Lebanon to neighboring Syria.

New strikes in Lebanon

(VIDEO) Israel hits bridges on Beirut-Damascus highway, Hizbullah bases; Exodus of southern Lebanese residents begins from Sidon to Beirut, those fleeing stock up on food and fuel