It happened hours after Israeli military evacuation orders that affected the entire city and two other villages caused tens of thousands of civilians to flee.
More than 20 strikes were recorded Wednesday afternoon in the Baalbek area, according to Mayor Mustafa al-Shell, who told the news that five of them took place inside the city itself, which is home to a historic Roman temple complex that is classified by Unesco.
The Israeli military claimed to have hit Hezbollah infrastructure and command and control facilities in southern Lebanon’s Baalbek and Nabatiyeh.
Additionally, the military claimed to have targeted Hezbollah fuel depots in the Bekaa Valley, which is home to Baalbek.
Lebanon’s state news agency said that diesel tanks were struck in the town of Douris, but it did not provide any specifics. Mr. Shell claimed that images of the incident showed a massive column of black smoke rising into the air.
The strikes coincided with Hezbollah’s new secretary-general declaring that the organization would not “cry out” for a ceasefire and would instead carry out its war strategy against Israel under his direction.
Naim Qassem declared he would carry out the goals of his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month, in a statement made the day after his appointment was made public.
Qassem gave the address from an unidentified location amid rumors that he had escaped to Iran, the primary ally of Hezbollah.
