The state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli strike on the nearby town of Maarakeh killed three people. There were no reports of casualties in Tyre, where the Israeli military had issued evacuation warnings before the strikes.

Lebanon's Hezbollah group meanwhile fired another barrage of rockets into Israel, including two that set off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv before being intercepted.

Tyre, a provincial capital, had largely been spared in the Israeli war on Lebanon, but strikes in and around the city have intensified recently.

The 2,500-year-old city, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Beirut, is known for its pristine beaches, ancient harbour and imposing Roman ruins and hippodrome, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is among Lebanon’s largest cities and a vibrant metropolis popular with tourists.

The buildings struck on Wednesday were between several heritage sites, including the hippodrome and a cluster of seaside sites associated with the ancient Phoenicians and the Crusaders.

The Israeli army issued evacuation warnings a couple of hours prior for dozens of buildings in the heart of the city. It told residents to move north of the Awali River, dozens of kilometres (miles) to the north.

A man gestures as he stands on building rubble at the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on October 23, 2024. AFP

The city is in southern Lebanon, where the Shia Muslim has a strong presence, and Hezbollah legislators are members of the group or its allies. But Tyre is also home to civilians with no ties to the group, including a sizable Christian community.

First responders from Lebanon’s Civil Defense used loudspeakers to warn residents to evacuate the area and helped older adults and others who had difficulty leaving. Ali Safieddine, the head of the Civil Defense, told The Associated Press there were no casualties.

Dr Wissam Ghazal, a health official in Tyre, said the strikes hit six buildings, flattening four of them, around 2 1/2 hours after the evacuation warnings. People displaced by the strikes could be seen in parks and sitting on the sides of nearby roads.

Israel killed over 2,500 people have in Lebanon since late last year, and over a million people have fled their homes since September, due to Israeli airstrikes.

On the Israeli side, Hezbollah’s attacks have killed around 60 people, half of them soldiers. Near-daily rocket barrages have emptied communities across northern Israel, displacing some 60,000 people.

In recent weeks Hezbollah has extended its range, launching scores of rockets every day and regularly targeting the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Most of the projectiles are intercepted or fall in open areas.