PanARMENIAN.Net - At least 20 people have been killed as a result of Israeli air force strikes targeting Beirut's southern suburb and residential areas in southern Lebanon.

Around 50 civilians have sustained injuries of varying severity, RIA Novosti reported, citing a source in Lebanon's emergency services.

"According to preliminary data, Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburb and southern Lebanese towns have resulted in at least 20 deaths and 50 wounded," the agency's source said.

The source added that in the country's south, a shell hit a residential building, killing seven members of the same family.

Classes have been suspended in Lebanese schools and universities amid the deteriorating security situation.

"Out of concern for the safety of the educational community and given the exceptional security circumstances, a decision has been made to close all public and private schools and lyceums, as well as vocational and technical education institutions, on March 2," the statement said.

The ministry also strongly condemned the Israeli attacks against Lebanon and its population, reaffirming full solidarity with citizens forced to leave their homes.

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that the United States has launched a large-scale operation against Iran, stating that Washington will not allow Tehran to possess nuclear weapons and that this remains an unchanged U.S. policy.

Israel, for its part, said it carried out a preemptive strike on Iran "to neutralize the threat," according to Defense Minister Israel Katz, who also declared a state of emergency across the country. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched retaliatory strikes against U.S. military facilities in the Middle East.

Source: PanArmenian.Net