Death toll of Israeli airstrike on southern Beirut rises to 37

The death toll of an Israeli airstrike on southern Beirut on Friday has risen to 37, the Lebanese Health Ministry said Saturday, reported Xinhua.

Civil defense teams are still searching for victims under the rubbles, the ministry said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, Lebanese Minister of Public Health Firass Abiad said that three children and seven women were among the dead in Friday's Israeli airstrike targeting a building in the Jamous area of Dahieh in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which also left 66 people injured.

Meanwhile, according to separate statements issued by Hezbollah, the airstrike has killed Ibrahim Akil, the acting commander of its Elite Radwan Force, and 14 other commanders.

Tension along the Israel-Lebanon border has escalated sharply following communications devices explosions in Lebanon earlier this week that killed 37 and injured 2,931.

These developments marked the latest escalation of ongoing conflict along the Israel-Lebanon border that began on Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel to show support for Hamas in the Gaza Strip, prompting Israel's retaliatory artillery fire and airstrikes into southeastern Lebanon. The conflict has already caused heavy casualties and displaced tens of thousands on both sides.