Israeli airstrikes on central Beirut Thursday evening left 22 dead and 117 injured, Lebanon’s health ministry reported. The strikes targeted Bachoura, a small Shia area in the capital, causing loud explosions heard by BBC reporters. Rescuers were seen sifting through the rubble as ambulances transported the wounded to the American University Hospital.
Reports suggest that the target may have been Wafiq Safa, the brother-in-law of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a senior security official. Hezbollah’s media office has not commented.
The strikes hit residential buildings in Bachoura’s densely populated neighborhoods of Nweiri and Basta. This is the third time Israel has launched airstrikes in Beirut outside of the southern Dahieh suburb, previously hitting Hezbollah commanders and weapon caches.
Thursday’s airstrikes shattered two days of relative calm after weeks of intense bombardment. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has yet to comment on the operation.
Read: Israel Escalates Ground Operations in Gaza and Lebanon
Attack on UN Peacekeepers
Earlier in the day, two Indonesian peacekeepers were injured when an Israeli tank fired on a UN watchtower in southern Lebanon. Consequently, the UN condemned the attacks on its positions, labeling them a “grave violation of international law.” Meanwhile, both peacekeepers are currently recovering in the hospital.
As the hostilities continue to escalate, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified since 8 October 2023. This escalation followed Hezbollah’s rocket launches into northern Israel, which came in response to Hamas’s deadly attack in southern Israel. Furthermore, four Israeli divisions are now engaged in ground operations in Lebanon.
As a result, the region continues to witness worsening violence, with hundreds of thousands displaced and civilian casualties rising on both sides.
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