Israeli raids wound 50 in Beirut

In a series of pre-dawn strikes, Israeli forces bombarded Hezbollah's command headquarters in Beirut.

At least 50 civilians were wounded in pre-dawn raids against Beirut's southern suburbs, a stronghold of the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, police said on Friday.

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"At least 50 civilians have been injured since 3:00 am (0000 GMT), according to an initial count," a police officer said.

"They were wounded in the southern suburbs, mostly near the bridge leading to the airport," he said.

In a series of pre-dawn strikes on Friday, Israeli forces bombarded Hezbollah's command headquarters in Beirut's Shiite-dominant southern suburbs, several bridges leading to the international airport and a power station south of the capital.

Fifty civilians have been killed and about 150 others wounded since Israel began an assault on Lebanon following the abduction of two soldiers and the killing of eight others by Hezbollah guerrillas early on Wednesday.

The dead include two Kuwaiti citizens and their Asian domestic helper.

Two Hezbollah militants have also been killed since Wednesday, while Israel said three Israelis were killed and more than 50 civilians wounded when northern towns, including the industrial city of Haifa, were blitzed by rockets from Lebanon.