The Israeli military launched strikes on a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut Sunday, targeting what it said was a store of "precision-guided missiles". The attack, which was preceded by an evacuation warning, was Israel's third on the Lebanese capital since a ceasefire took effect in late November.

A huge plume of smoke billowed over the area after the strike, which hit what looked like a metal tent situated between two buildings, according to an Associated Press photographer on the ground.

Israel said it hit a Hezbollah missile store. The Lebanese presidency urged the US and France to press Israel to cease its attacks.