Lebanese media report multiple Israeli strikes in southern and eastern areas of country

 Israeli strikes have been reported in a wide area of southern and eastern Lebanon on Saturday, according to Lebanese media.

The state news agency NNA said the areas bombarded included near Jezzine and areas south of the city of Sidon, as well as the western Beqaa valley.

Israeli warplanes “carried out a series of intense airstrikes in multiple rounds, targeting the valley between the towns of Ansar and Zrarieh (south of Sidon),” a nearby valley close to the town of Zefta, and another area close to Deir al-Zahrani, also southeast of Sidon, according to NNA.

“The planes fired a number of air-to-ground missiles, which caused loud explosions, and thick clouds of smoke rose over most of the towns in the Nabatieh and Iqlim al-Tuffah regions,” it said.

The strikes also caused forest fires, according to NNA, which civil defense teams were working to extinguish. The Israel Defense Forces has not issued any statement on strikes in Lebanon Saturday.

However, the Israeli Fire and Rescue Authority said “a number” of fires had broken out in the Safed area and Beit Hillel in northern Lebanon following rocket fire from Lebanon. Hezbollah claimed to have fired multiple barrages into Israel Saturday, including targeting the Israeli military’s Beit Hillel barracks with Katyusha rockets.