VIDEO: Israel drops 160 bombs on Lebanon in 10 minutes after Iran ceasefire

Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since the conflict with Hizbollah broke out last month, even as the Iran-aligned group paused attacks on northern Israel and Israeli troops in Lebanon under a ‌two-week US-Iran ceasefire. Consecutive explosions shook Beirut, sending smoke billowing across the capital. The strikes killed 112 people and wounded 837 across the country, Lebanon's health ministry said.

Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Israel's largest strike on Lebanon since March 1 came as the Hizbollah group attempts to "scatter" its operations to populated civilian areas.

"We are seeing them move in a more dispersed way and try to embed their operations behind civilians more and more," Shoshani said on Wednesday.

The military said the operation on Wednesday included 50 fighter jets, which launched 160 munitions at 100 targets in 10 minutes, causing widespread panic across the Lebanese capital during rush hour.

Firefighters and volunteers work on smoldering debris in Beirut. Associated Press

Israeli forces fired warning shots at a convoy of Italian UN peacekeepers in Lebanon on Wednesday, prompting Rome to summon their ambassador to protest.

An Italian convoy from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) had been carrying personnel from the town of Shama to Beirut when it was targeted by warning shots fired by the Israeli military, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said in a statement.

The convoy immediately stopped and returned to base.

The incident, in which no injuries were reported, prompted Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to call on Israel to cease attacks in Lebanon.

Agencies