Israel says Hamas command center hit in former Gaza school

South Korea has evacuated 97 citizens from Lebanon amid rising tensions in the Middle East, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

South Koreans, along with Lebanese family members, were evacuated in a KC-330 aircraft which landed in a military airfield south of Seoul on Friday, the ministry said.

The evacuation order came from President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday as tensions between Israel and Hezbollahescalate.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said it also flew a C130J transport plane, which is capable of operating on shorter runways and under fire, as a precaution.

South Korean diplomats stationed in Lebanon remain in the country, Yonhap news agency reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Syria's capital, Damascus, to discuss regional developments and bilateral relations with Syrian officials, said a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began nearly a year ago, Israel has conducted dozens of airstrikes in different parts of Syria.

Israel has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in Syria, where thousands of Iran-backed fighters are deployed. Syria is a key route for Iran to send weapons to Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.

The United States will provide nearly $157 million (€142.9 million) in new humanitarian assistance to support people affected by conflict in Lebanon and the region, the US State Department has said.

"This funding will address new and existing needs of internally displaced persons and refugee populations inside Lebanon and the communities that host them. The assistance will also support those fleeing to neighboring Syria," said the statement on Friday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US is "at the forefront" of the humanitarian response to the situation in Lebanon.

"We are committed to supporting those in need and delivering essential aid to displaced civilians, refugees and the communities hosting them," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he believes Israel should strike Iran's nuclear facilities in response to the Islamic republic's recent missile barrage.

The former president made the remarks while speaking at a campaign event in North Carolina.

He referred to a question posed to US President Joe Biden this week about the possibility of Israel targeting Iran's nuclear installations.

Biden was asked on Wednesday whether he would support strikes against Iranian nuclear sites, and the US president told reporters: "The answer is no."

"I think he's got that one wrong," Trump said, in response to a participant's question about the issue, the AFP news agency reported. "Isn't that what you're supposed to hit? I mean, it's the biggest risk we have, nuclear weapons," he said.

"When they asked him that question, the answer should have been, hit the nuclear first, and worry about the rest later," Trump added.

"If they're going to do it, they're going to do it. But we'll find out whatever their plans are."

Beirut's southern suburbs witnessed a series of explosions in the early hours of Saturday, news agencies Reuters and AFP reported.

The blasts occurred after the Israeli military ordered residents of the area to immediately evacuate.

The strikes on Beirut come amid ongoing fighting between the Lebanese Hezbollah group and the Israeli military.

Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Shiite political party and militant group in Lebanon.

They are considered a terrorist organization by the US, Germany and several Sunni Arab countries, while the EU lists its armed wing as a terrorist group.

Israel’s military said it targeted a Hamas command center from the air in the central area of Gaza.

The command center was located in a building that had formerly been a school, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

The IDF added that this was another example of what it called the systematic misuse of the civilian infrastructure by Hamas, violating international law.

The IDF said it had taken measures before the attack to reduce the risk to civilians.

The information could not be independently verified.

Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist group, classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union as well as the United States, Germany and several other countries.

sri/kb (dpa, AP, Reuters AFP)