BEIRUT — (AP) — Israeli warplanes struck central Beirut and the city’s southern suburbs on Tuesday, raising smoke over the Lebanese capital ahead of a planned vote by Israel’s leadership on whether to accept a U.S.-brokered ceasefire aimed at ending more than a year of fighting with Hezbollah militants.
The Israeli military issued a flurry of evacuation warnings — a sign it was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah down to the final moments before any ceasefire takes hold. Israeli ground troops also reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River for the first time in the conflict — a focal point of the emerging deal.
The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that have not been targeted throughout the war. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks in the final hours before a ceasefire is reached, sparked panic in Lebanon and sent residents fleeing in …