Israel targets Hezbollah in airstrikes over Beirut

Blasts and thick smoke were seen over Beirut's southern suburbs in Lebanon  amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces.

Israel carried out the air strikes in the area, witnesses said, the first strikes there in nearly a week. Images, filmed from Baabda looking into Beirut city, showed bright flashes in the night sky followed by sound of explosions.

Israel launched its major offensive in Lebanon a month ago, saying it was targeting the heavily armed Hezbollah group to secure the return home of tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated from the north due to cross-border rocket attacks.

The conflict in Lebanon has dramatically escalated over the past five weeks, with most of the 2,800 deaths reported by the Lebanese health ministry for the past 12 months occurring in that period.

Israel is able to reach anywhere in Iran should the need arise, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu, in a speech to new military officers, said that Israel has unprecedented freedom of action following its recent airstrikes against Iran.

"Israel today has more freedom of action in Iran than ever. We can reach any place in Iran as necessary," Netanyahu said. "The supreme goal I gave to the Israel Defence Forces and the security branches is to prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapon."

In the meanwhile the Israeli wartime economy has shown surprising resilience, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said ahead of a government meeting to approve the 2025 state budget.

"There is no doubt that we have a strong economy and a strong military. The strength of the military and the security ability of the State of Israel were expressed this past year, especially last month, in an extraordinary fashion, which has inspired our friends and struck fear into our enemies," he said.

The budget includes 40 billion shekels ($10.8 billion) of spending cuts as well as tax increases.