France, April 8 -- Video footage from French news agency AFP has shown plumes of smoke rising above Beirut and its suburbs on Wednesday, while journalists on the ground have described scenes of panic as residents fled the streets.

The Lebanese health ministry issued an urgent appeal for roads in the capital to be cleared to allow ambulances through.

"In a very serious escalation, Israeli warplanes launched a wave of simultaneous airstrikes on several Lebanese areas, resulting in, in an initial count, dozens of martyrs and hundreds of wounded," the ministry said.

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said the strikes formed part of a surprise offensive targeting hundreds of Hezbollah members across Lebanon, describing it as the most sig...