In the early hours of Thursday, Israel launched an airstrike on central Beirut, resulting in the deaths of at least six people. The attack followed Israel’s deadliest day on the Lebanese front in a year of clashes with the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.
Israel claimed the airstrike, which targeted a building in Beirut’s Bachoura neighborhood near parliament, was a precise operation. Witnesses reported hearing a massive explosion, and Lebanese officials confirmed at least six fatalities and seven injuries. Images of a heavily damaged building, with its ground floor engulfed in flames, circulated on social media, though Reuters could not immediately verify their authenticity.
Additionally, three missiles struck the southern suburb of Dahiyeh, where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was reportedly killed last week. Explosions were heard in the area, which had already suffered over a dozen Israeli strikes the previous day.
The escalation followed Iran’s firing of more than 180 missiles into Israel. On Wednesday, Israel confirmed the deaths of eight soldiers in ground combat in southern Lebanon, where its forces had advanced into Hezbollah-controlled territory. Israeli infantry and armored units have now joined ground operations in Lebanon, intensifying fears of a broader regional conflict.
Hezbollah reported ground clashes with Israeli forces for the first time since the border was breached on Monday, claiming it had destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the confrontation as a “difficult war” against Iran’s “Axis of Evil.”
Lebanese health officials reported that Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 46 people in the country’s southern and central regions over the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Iran declared that its missile attacks were a response to Israeli strikes on militant leaders, including Nasrallah, and would cease unless provoked further. The United States, however, vowed to retaliate, with President Joe Biden urging Israel to act proportionally. The Group of Seven (G7) leaders expressed concern over the rising violence but emphasized that a diplomatic solution remains possible.
More than 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced by Israeli airstrikes, with casualties continuing to rise amid ongoing cross-border hostilities.
