Barkley rushes for 176 yards and a TD in a memorable return as the Eagles blitz the Giants 28-3

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Coming into MetLife Stadium to face the New York Giants for the first time as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Saquon Barkley said he saw fans burning his old Giants jersey.

Barkley said he found that “crazy,” and then he did what he normally would have done in a big game for the Giants. No. 26 played big. He ran around and through his former teammates and torched them for 176 yards and a touchdown in leading the Eagles to a 28-3 victory over the inept Giants on Sunday.

His exploits turned the jeers he received on his first series into cheers at the end.

Barkley said nothing bothered him during the game — the boos, the trash-talking with former teammates or even a slow start in the first quarter. He even felt the booing was complimentary at the end of the day. He just hopes not to see his jersey burned again.

“There’s a reason why when I go out there and I’m getting booed, I didn’t remove myself from the moment,” said Barkley, who in five seasons with the Giants rushed for 5,211 yards — the fourth most in franchise history — and scored 47 touchdowns. “I stayed locked in the whole time.”

Jalen Hurts scored on two tush-push quarterback sneaks and threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Brown as the Eagles (4-2) beat the Giants (2-5) for the sixth time in seven games and 14th in 17. Philadelphia's defense was just as good, recording eight sacks and limiting New York to 119 yards.

What was different this time was Barkley was wearing an Eagles uniform. The second pick overall by New York in 2018, he signed a three-year, $37.5 million contract with Philadelphia in March.

Barkley was worth every penny on Sunday, waking up the Eagles with a 55-yard run around left end to set up his 3-yard TD that put Philadelphia ahead 7-0 in the second quarter. Hurts then connected with Brown on a go route on fourth-and-3 to increase the margin to 14-0.

Barkley's 38-yard scamper up the middle set up Hurts' first tush push in the third quarter and his 41-yarder in the fourth quarter led to the second. Barkley's 176 yards rushing on 17 carries — 10.4 yards per — was the second-highest total of his career, and he didn't play much late. His career best was 189 yards against Washington on Dec. 22, 2019.

“I said to him, ‘Just be yourself,’” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “He’s been one of the best players on his football teams since probably he was 8 years old. Just go be yourself. I was happy for him that he was able to have that experience.”

After the game, Giants coach Brian Daboll hung around to hug Barkley.

“He played well,” Daboll said. “Like we said, if he gets in space, he’s going to make some yards and he played well, particularly there in the second half.”

Hurts finished 10 of 14 for 114 yards and his day was over after his second TD run. He was sacked four times, including twice by Dexter Lawrence, who now has nine.

“I played with him for years,” Lawrence said of Barkley. “I know his attitude towards the game and, you know, that’s the way he approached it today.”

Greg Joseph kicked a 38-yard field goal for the Giants in the final seconds of the first half. Daboll drew some sarcastic cheers early in the fourth quarter when he pulled quarterback Daniel Jones for Drew Lock. A battered Jones finished 14 of 21 for 99 yards, with rookie receiver Malik Nabers catching four for 41 yards.

The Giants are winless in four games at home and have scored one touchdown.

Eagles: RG Mekhi Becton sustained a concussion in the first half and was replaced by Tyler Steen.

Giants: CB Cor'Dale Flott left late in the first half with a groin injury. Backup LB Ty Summers injured an ankle in punt coverage and did not return in the second half.

Eagles: At Cincinnati next Sunday.

Giants: At Pittsburgh on Monday, Oct. 28.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Josh Sweat (19) reacts after sacking New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) reacts after sacking New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) avoids a tackle from New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) reacts after running the ball for a first down against the New York Giants during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) carries the ball against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) makes a touchdown catch against the New York Giants during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) celebrates with wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) after scoring a touchdown against the New York Giants during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) makes a touchdown catch ahead of New York Giants cornerback Nick McCloud (44) during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) avoids New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) is sacked by Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV (59) and linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) reacts after carrying the ball down inside the New York Giants 5-yard line during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) carrie the ball for a first down against the New York Giants during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

BEIRUT (AP) — Israel's military announced Sunday it is now taking aim at the Lebanon-based Hezbollah's financial arm and will attack a “large number of targets” in Beirut and elsewhere. Explosions began in Beirut's southern suburbs about an hour later.

Evacuation warnings affected southern Beirut, the eastern Bekaa valley and parts of southern Lebanon. AP video showed strikes near Lebanon’s only airport but it continued to operate.

The strikes will target al-Qard al-Hassan "all over Lebanon,” a senior Israeli intelligence official said. Al-Qard al-Hassan is a Hezbollah unit that's used to pay operatives of the Iran-backed militant group and help buy arms, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with army regulations.

The registered nonprofit, sanctioned by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, provides financial services and is also used by ordinary Lebanese. Its name in Arabic means “the benevolent loan,” and Hezbollah has used it to entrench its support among the Shiite population in a country where state and financial institutions have failed in recent years.

“It’s a big deal,” said David Asher, an expert on illicit financing who has worked at the U.S. Defense and State Departments and is now a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

“AQAH is a cash-based organization. The cash will be trash” in the event of strikes, he said, adding that it has large accounts with big Lebanese banks.

Al-Qard al-Hassan in a statement called the decision to target it a sign of Israel’s “bankruptcy” and assured customers it had taken “measures” to ensure their funds were safe. A stream of people left the areas surrounding its branches in Beirut.

In one evacuation notice, for the Choueifat area south of Beirut, the Israeli military mislabeled one target, causing confusion and panic. The location was labeled as Grand Cinema ABC Verdun, a theater in an upscale shopping mall in central Beirut more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) away.

A year of escalating tensions and frequent cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah over the war in Gaza turned into all-out war last month. Israel sent ground troops into Lebanon early this month.

Israel's announcement came a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called civilian casualties in Lebanon “far too high” in the Israel-Hezbollah war, and urged Israel to scale back some strikes, especially in and around Beirut.

Israel has increased strikes on southern neighborhoods of Beirut known as the Dahiyeh, a crowded residential area where Hezbollah has a strong presence. It is also home to many civilians unaffiliated with the militant group.

In southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army said three soldiers were killed in an Israeli strike on their vehicle. There was no immediate comment on that from the Israeli military, which said it struck more than 100 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past day and continued ground operations there.

Lebanon’s army has largely kept to the sidelines in the war. The military is a respected institution in Lebanon, but isn't powerful enough to impose its will on Hezbollah or defend the country from an Israeli invasion.

Israel's military said Hezbollah fired more than 170 rockets into the country on Sunday. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said three people were slightly injured from a fire sparked by a rocket attack on the northern city of Safed.

In the middle is the U.N. peacekeeping mission UNIFIL, which said Israeli forces on Sunday “deliberately demolished an observation tower and perimeter fence of a U.N. position” in southern Lebanon. It again resisted Israeli pressure to leave its positions.

Iran supports the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, and the United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents indicating that Israel was moving military assets into place for a military strike in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1, according to three U.S. officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Israeli strikes on homes in northern Gaza overnight and into Sunday left at least 87 people dead or missing, the territory’s Health Ministry said, as a large-scale operation continued against Hamas militants said to be regrouping.

The ministry said another 40 people were wounded in the strikes on the town of Beit Lahiya, which was among the first targets of Israel’s ground invasion nearly a year ago. The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas target.

Among the dead were parents and eight children, according to Raheem Kheder, a medic. He said the strike flattened a multistory building and at least four neighboring houses.

The Israeli military said it used precise munitions against a Hamas target.

The U.S. is urging Israel to press for a cease-fire in Gaza following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week. But neither Israel nor Hamas has shown interest in such a deal after negotiations sputtered to a halt in August.

In central Gaza, six people, including a child, were killed when a strike hit a car in Deir al-Balah, Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital officials said. The bodies were counted by AP journalists.

Doctors Without Borders, the international charity known by its French acronym MSF, called on Israeli forces to immediately stop their attacks on hospitals in northern Gaza after the Health Ministry said Israeli troops had fired on two hospitals over the weekend.

Israel's military said it was operating near one hospital but hadn't fired directly at it.

Internet connectivity went down in northern Gaza late Saturday, making it difficult to gather information about strikes and complicating rescue efforts.

Israel ordered the entire population of the northern third of Gaza, including Gaza City, to evacuate to the south in the war's opening weeks and reiterated those instructions this month. Around 400,000 people are believed to have remained.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed in, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Around 100 captives are still being held in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who don't distinguish combatants from civilians. The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people.

Magdy reported from Cairo and Shurafa from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writers Adam Schreck in Jerusalem, Jack Jeffery in Ramallah, West Bank, and Zeke Miller, Mike Balsamo, Eric Tucker and Tara Copp in Washington contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Smoke rise form Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Flames and smoke rise form Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Flames and smoke rise form an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh in the southern suburb of Beirut, as Beirut city seen in the background, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Palestinians mourn as they carry the bodies of relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at a hospital in Deir el-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A young Palestinian mourns his relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at a hospital in Deir el-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

CORRECTS DATE A Palestinian wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip is treated in a hospital in Deir el-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A Palestinian wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip is treated in a hospital in Deir al Balah, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Smoke rises following an explosion in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

People pass by a newly painted graffiti depicting Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar, days after he was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

An Israeli army tank maneuvers near the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Israeli police officers stand next to a site of a fire after a rocket, fired from Lebanon, hit an area near the town of Rosh Pinna, northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Israeli police officers stand next to a site of a fire after a rocket, fired from Lebanon, hit an area near the town of Rosh Pinna, northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Members of the Israeli forces watch a fire after a rocket, fired from Lebanon, hit an area near the town of Rosh Pinna, northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Smoke rises to the sky as fire burns in a site next to houses after a rocket, fired from Lebanon, hit a location near the town of Rosh Pinna, northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A Israeli police officer walks past site of a fire after a rocket, fired from Lebanon, hit an area near the town of Rosh Pinna, northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Workers clean a street as smoke rises from a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A worker cleans a street as smoke rises from a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Workers clean a street as smoke rises from a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Workers clean a street under a giant portrait of the late Hezbollah military commander Imad Mughniyeh, as smoke rises from a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)