Beirut, October 26 (RHC)-- The Israeli regime presses ahead with its violent airstrikes against residential areas in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, killing more civilians, including children.

“Israeli warplanes launched a new strike a short while ago on the Choueifat” area, Lebanon’s official National News Agency said on Thursday.  Video footage showed a plume of smoke rising from the targeted site and a large blaze can be seen burning.

Israeli warplanes launched the strike after issuing evacuation warnings. The Israeli army issued calls to evacuate parts of the Choueifat and Haret Hreik neighborhoods as the military prepared to target the area.

"You are located near facilities and sites belonging to Hezbollah, which the Israeli [military] will be targeting in the near future," said the Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee in a post on X that included maps of the locations.

The regime also issued a new evacuation order for southern Beirut, warning it was going to attack two more neighborhoods there.  Israel claims its bombardment of Lebanon targets facilities and sites belonging to the Hezbollah resistance movement.  However, it has never provided any proof for its claim.

Lebanon's health ministry said three children were among 12 people killed in the latest Israeli strikes on two villages in the country's east.

The regime’s savage attacks have so far killed around 3,600 civilians in Lebanon, leaving over 12,000 others injured.  Earlier on Thursday, Hezbollah said its fighters had engaged in a close-quarters firefight with Israeli soldiers in the town of Aita al-Shaab in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah said its fighters were engaged in “heavy clashes in Aita al-Shaab” at close range. The resistance fighters also hit a Merkava tank that came to assist the Israeli troops. It reported a separate hit on a Merkava tank using a guided missile.

The Israeli military said four of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon and six others injured, three of them in serious condition.