Moment Israel launches more strikes on Lebanon as death toll hits 45

The horizon turned red over Lebanon amid a series of Israeli strikes aimed at dismantling Hezbollah that have left 45 dead.

Israel peppered southern Lebanon and its capital Beirut in a bid to rid itself of the terrorist organisation that has sent hundreds of rockets into the country amid ratcheting tensions in the Middle East. Video of the airstrike showed explosions light up the night sky with plumes of smoke seen rising from targeted buildings.

The footage, taken from a considerable distance, also revealed the booming sound of the explosions away on the horizon. It is unclear how many people were injured in the blasts seen in the clip.

Israel's military has since declared it has "almost completely dismantled" the terrorist organisation's leadership. It also defended its right to use lethal force following several rocket attacks by Hezbollah.

In a post uploaded to X/Twitter, an IDF spokesperson said: "Hezbollah's terrorism targets civilians. Hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians spent their night hiding in bomb shelters, while barrages of rockets were flying over their heads, some hitting their homes, and rocket alert sirens were constantly sounding throughout the night.

"Thousands of children will stay in bomb shelters today instead of going to school due to the risk to their lives. We must stop this reality."

The Lebanese health ministry today announced that 45 people had been confirmed to have died in Friday's airstrike on Beirut. It previously said 37 people had been killed, among them three children and seven women.

Hezbollah, which is not directly affiliated with the Lebanese government, announced 15 of its operatives were killed in the Israeli strikes, reports Sky News. The airstrikes come as Lebanon reeled from a series of pager explosions that left dozens dead and an estimated 3,500 wounded, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

Dozens of blasts went off across Lebanon earlier this week with Hezbollah's leadership directly pinning blame on Israel. Meanwhile, Israel has not commented on whether it was behind the attack.

While Israel has defended its right to target Hezbollah, critics have argued it has been indiscriminate with its strikes. The attacks in Lebanon come as Israel continues its offensive in the Gaza Strip following the October 7 attack by Hamas.

Hamas terrorists killed dozens of Israeli civilians and took around 240 people hostage. In response, Israel's government vowed to rescue the hostages and eliminate Hamas.

Airstrikes have killed Hamas operatives, but also tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians. The UK and US are pushing for an end to hostilities to avoid the conflict from escalating further.