Deadly Airstrikes Rock Beirut, Escalating Israel-Hezbollah Conflict
Two residential buildings in central Beirut were reduced to rubble on Thursday following Israeli airstrikes, leaving 22 people dead and dozens injured, The Associated Press reports, citing Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
The strikes, the deadliest in over a year of conflict, mark a significant escalation in the ongoing war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
Witnesses reported seeing numerous ambulances and crowds gathering around the debris of the two targeted sites in the Ras al-Nabaa and Burj Abi Haidar neighborhoods. Images from the scene showed one building completely collapsed and the lower floors of another building destroyed.
The Israeli military, while confirming the airstrikes, said they were looking into the reported civilian casualties. The strikes, however, have prompted widespread condemnation, including from the United Nations.
Earlier in the day, Israeli forces fired upon UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, injuring two. This incident has drawn strong criticism, with Italy summoning Israel’s ambassador in protest.
Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported that the airstrikes were an attempt to assassinate Wafiq Safa, a top security official within the group, but that he was not present in either building at the time.
This latest escalation follows a year of escalating tit-for-tat attacks between Israel and Hezbollah, which intensified into all-out war in recent weeks. Israel has launched heavy airstrikes across Lebanon and conducted a ground invasion, while Hezbollah has expanded its rocket fire to populated areas within Israel.
Iran, which supports Hezbollah and other armed groups in the region, launched a barrage of 180 ballistic missiles at Israel last week in retaliation for the killing of top Hamas and Hezbollah militants. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has vowed a “lethal” and “surprising” response to the Iranian missile attack.
The conflict has also spilled into the international arena, with the US, Russia, and other countries expressing concerns over the escalating violence.
