An Israeli air strike in central Beirut killed at least 11 people early Saturday, bringing down a residential building and jolting residents across the city out of bed as Israel kept up its air campaign against Hezbollah.
The attack was followed by others in the city's southern suburbs after calls by Israel's military to evacuate the area.
Rescue operations were underway in the city center on Saturday morning, with an excavator removing the rubble of the eight-story building, and a fire truck and civil defense rescuers stationed nearby as people gathered around the site.
"The strike was so strong it felt like the building was about to fall on our heads," said Samir, 60, who lives in a building facing the one that was destroyed.
He said he fled his home in the middle of the night with his wife and children.