Violent explosion shakes the center of Beirut

Videos on social media showed clouds of gray smoke spreading through the streets. It was initially unclear who the attack was aimed at.

Unlike usual, Israel's military had not issued an evacuation notice for the district to help civilians get to safety. There were several such calls for the southern suburbs of Beirut, also known as Dahija.

Prior to this, Israel's air force had already flown two waves of attacks. According to the military, these were aimed at command centers and other facilities of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia.