Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr says the Lebanese government is warning the country is entering a “dangerous moment” as Israeli attacks intensify and the conflict continues to widen.

Khodr said two strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs within the past hour, following what she described as a violent night in which more than a dozen attacks targeted a cluster of neighbourhoods in the area. She said the districts are now largely empty after unprecedented Israeli evacuation warnings prompted residents to flee.

She also reported a separate strike on the southern coastal city of Sidon — an area not typically described as a Hezbollah stronghold — where an apartment building was hit. Khodr said a Hamas official was believed to have been killed, though that has not been independently confirmed.

Lebanon’s prime minister is appealing for international help, warning the situation is grave and that a humanitarian disaster is looming. He said diplomatic efforts are continuing in an attempt to halt the fighting.

Meanwhile, Khodr said Hezbollah remains defiant, continuing attacks against Israeli forces operating along the border inside Lebanese territory — adding to fears that the confrontation is still escalating.