Israeli army orders evacuation of Beirut buildings after strike on Hezbollah headquarters

ITV News' International Editor Emma Murphy reports on a series of huge explosions in Beirut

The Israeli military has launched a further missile strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, hours after claiming to have bombed Hezbollah's headquarters.

It comes after Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari warned residents in the Dahieh neighbourhood of Lebanon's capital to evacuate three buildings it intended to strike.

Hagari claimed Hezbollah uses the buildings to hide weapons. He warned those inside should leave “as soon as possible” as they could collapse from secondary explosions.

Israel's earlier strike on Hezbollah's headquarters produced huge explosions, and clouds of billowing orange and black smoke.

At least six people were killed and 91 were wounded in the blast, Lebanon's health ministry said.

Hagari claimed the strike targeted the main headquarters of militant group Hezbollah, located beneath residential buildings.

In a televised address earlier on Friday, he said: “Moments ago, the Israel Defense Forces carried out a precise strike on the Central Headquarters of the Hezbollah terror organization - that served as the epicenter of Hezbollah's terror.

"Hezbollah's central headquarters was intentionally built under residential buildings in the heart of the Dahieh, in Beirut, as part of Hezbollah's strategy of using Lebanese people as human shields.

"Hezbollah must be stopped, Israel is doing what every sovereign state in the world would do if they had a terror organization that seeks their destruction on their border, taking the necessary action to protect our people so that Israeli families can live in their homes, safely and securely.”

The militant group's Al-Manar TV said four buildings were reduced to rubble in the blast, so powerful it rattled windows and shook houses some 30 kilometres (19 miles) north of Beirut.

Not long before the explosion, thousands were massed in the suburb for the funeral of three Hezbollah members, including a senior commander, killed in earlier strikes.

Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the militant group backed by Iran, is believed to have been the target of the strike.

However, the Israeli military declined to comment, and Hezbollah are also yet to respond on whether it believes Nasrallah was targeted.

Instead, the group announced that it had launched rockets at the Israeli city of Safed, which it said was "in defense of Lebanon and its people, and in response to the barbaric Israeli violation of cities, villages and civilians."

The Israeli military said a house and a car in Safed were hit.

Daniel Hagari confirmed Israel had carried out a "precise strike" on the militant group's headquarters

It came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he vowed their campaign against Hezbollah would continue.

He said the country's military would “continue degrading Hezbollah” until Israel achieves its goals.

The Israeli Prime Minister's office have released a picture of Netanyahu reportedly "pre-authorising" the strike on Beirut from his hotel room.

Netanyahu later left midway through a briefing with Israeli journalists on Friday after his military secretary whispered something in his ear.

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