Israel carries out spate of bombings on south Lebanon ahead of municipal elections

Israel carried out bombings across south Lebanon late on Thursday, ratcheting up its attacks on the region days before municipal elections. One strike hit a building next to a busy main road in Toul, a town north-west of the city of Nabatieh. No casualties were reported but the damage was extensive. Footage posted online showed the building on fire, sending up black plumes of smoke. The Israeli military claimed, without providing evidence, that the building contained Hezbollah facilities and ordered people to move at least 500 metres away before launching the strike.