Israeli army launches airstrike on Beirut neighborhood

An Israeli airstrike targetted Mar Elias, a densely-populated neighbourhood in Beirut, Lebanon, local media reported. 

Two people were killed and 22 others injured in the airstrike on Sunday night, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting local TV channel Al-Jadeed.

According to media reports, the airstrike targeted Hezbollah's head of operations on the southern front, Mahmoud Madi, but his fate remains unknown.

The channel reported that the airstrike targeted Madi Technology, an electronics shop owned by Hassan Madi, the brother of Mahmoud Madi. The explosion of electronic devices at the shop following the airstrike triggered a massive fire.

Civil defence teams quickly arrived on the scene to extinguish the fire, while ambulances were dispatched to transport the injured to the hospital.

Since September 23, the Israeli army has intensified airstrikes on Lebanon in an escalation of conflict with Hezbollah.

In early October, Israel launched a ground operation across its northern border into Lebanon.