11The US State Department said on Wednesday that Washington supports Israel's right to strike legitimate Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, according to Reuters.

The ministry's statement came when asked about Israel's bombing of the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon.

But State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters in a briefing that Israel must do so in a way that does not endanger civilian lives, and that it is necessary to protect civilian infrastructure and important cultural heritage sites.

The city of Baalbek and surrounding villages in eastern Lebanon were subjected to a series of raids today, a few hours after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning to the residents of the city and two villages in the governorate, warning against striking Hezbollah targets in the area.

According to the National News Agency, the Israeli raids targeted residential neighborhoods in the city. They also targeted “towns that were not included in the warning alert.”