Israel strikes in the center of Beirut. The target of the attack was a senior Hezbollah official, Wafiq Safa, according to The Times of Israel. According to the agency, the target of tonight’s large-scale airstrike by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in central Beirut was Wafiq Safa,

Updates on the Middle East conflict as Israel launches fresh strikes on Beirut, with the IDF and Hezbollah engaging in ongoing border clashes.

Hezbollah said on Wednesday its fighters had pushed back advancing Israeli troops in clashes along the length of the border, a day after Israel said it had killed two successors to the Iran-backed Lebanese militant movement's slain leader.

STORY: Smoke rose over Lebanon on Wednesday (October 9) as the cross-border conflict between Hezbollah militants and Israel continued. Sirens sounded as Israel’s overnight airstrikes on Lebanon’s Beirut reduced some buildings to rubble.

Hezbollah militants targeted Israeli soldiers near the Lebanese border village of Labbouneh with artillery shells and rockets on Wednesday, the group said in a statement, a day after Israel said it had killed two successors to Hezbollah's slain leader.

The death toll from Israeli attacks in a year against Lebanon has exceeded 2,100, most of them in the last two weeks of intense bombing campaign against the country. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continues to escalate.