BEIRUT, Lebanon – Israel launched a deadly airstrike on central Beirut early Thursday, killing at least six people in the most intense escalation of its ongoing conflict with Hezbollah.
The strike, which targeted a building in the Bachoura neighborhood near Lebanon’s parliament, marks the closest Israeli attack to the country’s government seat in years.
Lebanese health officials confirmed six fatalities and at least seven injured. Images circulating on social media, though not yet independently verified, showed a heavily damaged building engulfed in flames, underscoring the destruction caused by the assault.
The airstrike follows the deadliest day for Israeli forces on the Lebanese front in over a year. On Wednesday, eight Israeli soldiers were killed in ground combat against Hezbollah fighters, signaling a sharp uptick in the conflict that has gripped both nations.
Israel’s military said the attack on Beirut was in retaliation for Hezbollah’s recent missile strikes.
In southern Lebanon, three Israeli missiles struck the suburb of Dahiyeh, a stronghold of Hezbollah, where the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed last week.
Lebanese officials reported loud explosions throughout the area, which had already suffered more than a dozen strikes earlier in the week.
Hezbollah, which has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on Israeli forces, reported that its fighters engaged Israeli troops in several border towns.
The group also claimed to have destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks using anti-tank missiles.
Mohammad Afif, Hezbollah’s media chief, warned that the battles are “just the first round” in a broader confrontation.
The escalating conflict has intensified fears of a wider regional war, particularly after Iran fired over 180 missiles into Israel in its largest-ever attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, “We are at the height of a difficult war against Iran’s Axis of Evil, but we will prevail.”
His comments came after Iran warned it would hold off further missile attacks unless provoked again.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israeli air raids had killed at least 46 people across the country in the last 24 hours, raising the toll of the year-long conflict, which has displaced over 1.2 million Lebanese.
More than 9,000 people have been injured, with the death toll mounting in the past two weeks of heavy bombardment.
International concern is growing as the violence escalates. U.S. President Joe Biden urged restraint, stating that while Israel has a right to defend itself, any retaliation against Iran should be proportional.
Biden joined leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) to discuss the crisis, where the consensus was that a diplomatic solution remained possible and a wider conflict would be disastrous for the region.
The strike, which targeted a building in the Bachoura neighborhood near Lebanon’s parliament, marks the closest Israeli attack to the country’s government seat in years.
Lebanese health officials confirmed six fatalities and at least seven injured. Images circulating on social media, though not yet independently verified, showed a heavily damaged building engulfed in flames, underscoring the destruction caused by the assault.
The airstrike follows the deadliest day for Israeli forces on the Lebanese front in over a year. On Wednesday, eight Israeli soldiers were killed in ground combat against Hezbollah fighters, signaling a sharp uptick in the conflict that has gripped both nations.
Israel’s military said the attack on Beirut was in retaliation for Hezbollah’s recent missile strikes.
In southern Lebanon, three Israeli missiles struck the suburb of Dahiyeh, a stronghold of Hezbollah, where the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed last week.
Lebanese officials reported loud explosions throughout the area, which had already suffered more than a dozen strikes earlier in the week.
Hezbollah, which has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on Israeli forces, reported that its fighters engaged Israeli troops in several border towns.
The group also claimed to have destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks using anti-tank missiles.
Mohammad Afif, Hezbollah’s media chief, warned that the battles are “just the first round” in a broader confrontation.
The escalating conflict has intensified fears of a wider regional war, particularly after Iran fired over 180 missiles into Israel in its largest-ever attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, “We are at the height of a difficult war against Iran’s Axis of Evil, but we will prevail.”
His comments came after Iran warned it would hold off further missile attacks unless provoked again.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israeli air raids had killed at least 46 people across the country in the last 24 hours, raising the toll of the year-long conflict, which has displaced over 1.2 million Lebanese.
More than 9,000 people have been injured, with the death toll mounting in the past two weeks of heavy bombardment.
International concern is growing as the violence escalates. U.S. President Joe Biden urged restraint, stating that while Israel has a right to defend itself, any retaliation against Iran should be proportional.
Biden joined leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) to discuss the crisis, where the consensus was that a diplomatic solution remained possible and a wider conflict would be disastrous for the region.
