Israel launches airstrikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, causing destruction and displacement, escalating tensions in the Middle East.

The new wave of strikes come after Israel warned people to evacuate communities in southern Lebanon.

Israel carried out another series of punishing airstrikes Friday, hitting suburban Beirut and cutting off the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria for tens of thousands of people fleeing the Israeli bombardment of the Hezbollah militant group. The overnight blasts in Beirut's southern suburbs sent huge plumes of smoke and flames…

The strike along the Lebanon-Syria border, about 30 miles east of Beirut, also led to the closure of the road near the busy Masnaa Border Crossing.

Israel carried out another series of punishing airstrikes Friday, hitting suburban Beirut and cutting off the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria for tens of thousands of people fleeing the Israeli bombardment of the Hezbollah militant group.

An Israeli airstrike has cut off a main highway linking Lebanon with Syria, leaving two huge craters on either side of the road. The airstrike Friday rendered the road unusable for cars, leaving people to go on foot to the Masnaa Border Crossing where tens of thousands of people fleeing war in Lebanon have crossed into Syria in the past two weeks.Israel this week began a ground incursion into Lebanon against the Hezbollah militant group while also conducting strikes in Gaza. The Israeli military said nine soldiers have died in the conflict in southern Lebanon.Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across the Lebanon border almost daily since the day after Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage. Israel declared war on the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip in response. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory, and just over half the dead have been women and children, according to local health officials. Nearly 2,000 people have…