News - Middle East: Israel has pounded southern parts of the Lebanese capital of Beirut with airstrikes in fresh aggression against the Arab country.

On Thursday, a cloud of grey smoke billowed over the area following the most recent aerial aggression, as Israel has significantly escalated its offensive against Lebanon since September.

According to Lebanon’s official National News Agency, Israel launched two strikes on Ghobeiry and a large one on Shouaifat al-Omrousiya, which lies on the southern outskirts of Beirut.

It also reported heavy Israeli bombardment of the southern town of Bint Jbeil earlier in the day, adding that multiple apartment blocks in the town, located just three kilometers from the Israeli-occupied territories, were destroyed by airstrikes or shelling.

Israel launched a ground assault and massive air campaign against Lebanon in late September after a year of exchanging fire across the Lebanese border in parallel with the Gaza war.

At least 3,287 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon over the past year, with the vast majority in the past seven weeks. Another 14,222 have been wounded, mostly women and children.

The Lebanese government reports that around 1.2 million people have been displaced since Israel began its bombing campaign on the Arab country. This includes many of the 1.5 million Syrian refugees who have been residing in Lebanon since conflict erupted in Syria 13 years ago.

In response to the ongoing aggression, the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has been staging hundreds of retaliatory strikes against the occupied Palestinian territories and the Israeli forces trying to advance on southern Lebanese areas.

The movement has vowed to sustain its strikes until the regime ends the escalation.

Source: Press TV