Israel launches intense attacks on Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut’s south

Reports suggest strikes were targeting Hashem Safieddine, seen as most likely candidate to replace Hassan Nasrallah

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The Israeli military launched a series of strikes on southern Beirut on Thursday night, in one of the most intense bombardments on the city since the campaign began last week as Hezbollah continued to attack northern Israel.

The raids came as Israel also cut off a key road near to Lebanon's Masnaa border crossing with Syria that has been used by hundreds of thousands of people to flee Israeli bombardments in recent days.