Israel lands first heavy strike on Beirut suburbs since ceasefire

Beirut: Israel's air force conducted a heavy strike on a building in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital on Friday, a Reuters witness said, the first heavy bombardment there since a truce in November ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The strike, which resounded across Beirut and produced a large column of black smoke, followed an evacuation order by the Israeli military for the neighbourhood and three smaller drone strikes on the building intended as warnings, security sources told Reuters.