At the same time as Hezbollah's press officer Mohammad Afif held a press conference in the southern suburbs of the capital, Israel issued an evacuation order for residents in the densely populated area on Tuesday afternoon.
The press conference was interrupted prematurely – and just minutes later, the attack came, according to Lebanon's state news agency NNA.
On film clips from the attack, it can be seen how a rocket hits a multi-story building – which immediately collapses completely, just a few hundred meters from the site where the press conference was held.
The building stood in an area with heavy traffic, on the other side of the street from a large park that has become a refuge for many families who have been displaced during the conflict, writes AP.
Drone strike confirmed
During the press conference, Afif announced that Hezbollah officially takes responsibility for the drone attack directed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Caesarea (Qesarya) on Saturday.
Israel confirmed that the residence was hit by a drone, reports Jerusalem Post. Previously, Israel had only confirmed that a drone attack had been carried out, but not that it had hit the residence. Prime Minister Netanyahu was not in the building during the attack.
Hezbollah's press officer said that several fighters from the Iran-backed Shia militia had been captured by Israeli soldiers, and that Hezbollah's banks would "fulfill their commitments" to their depositors despite dozens of Israeli attacks on the movement's banking system in recent times.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israel also attacked a community near the ancient city of Tyre in southern Lebanon, after ordering all residents to leave the area.
Follows an intense day
In the morning, air raid sirens also sounded in Tel Aviv and in places in central and northern Israel, after Hezbollah, according to a statement, fired a "rocket salvo" at a naval base in Haifa and at an intelligence base in Tel Aviv's suburbs.
No damage has been reported and most rockets were shot down, according to Israel's military.
Tuesday's attacks come after an intense day before, with over 230 "terror targets" attacked in Lebanon and Gaza, according to Israel.
One of the attacks was near one of Beirut's largest public hospitals. 13 people, including a child, were killed in the attack, according to Lebanon's Health Department.
Since Israel escalated its attacks in Lebanon almost a month ago, up to 1,500 people have been killed there, according to AFP's compilation of figures from the Lebanese Health Department.
