Copy in clipboard...
Israel pounds central Beirut, kills over 15
The attack in the capital was followed by others in the city’s southern suburbs after calls by the Israeli military to evacuate the area, AFP reported.
“The strike was so strong it felt like the building was about to fall on our heads,” said Samir, 60, who lives in a building facing the one that was destroyed.
The Israeli strike, which hit the working-class Basta neighborhood, killed at least 15 people and wounded 63, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said, adding it had also left behind “a large amount of body parts that are being identified.”
“The final death toll will be determined after DNA tests are carried out,” the ministry said in a statement.
The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said Israeli jets had launched six missiles at the structure, causing “widespread destruction in buildings” nearby.
The predawn attack in Basta was not preceded by an evacuation warning from Israel’s military.
A Lebanese security source told AFP on condition of anonymity that the strike had “targeted a leading Hezbollah figure”, though it was unclear if they were killed. The official did not name the figure.
Another strike hit the neighborhood of Hadath in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Israel stepped up its campaign against the resistance group in late September, targeting its strongholds in the east and south as well as south Beirut, and later sending in ground troops after nearly a year of limited cross-border exchanges of fire.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry says at least 3,645 people have been killed since October 2023, when Hezbollah began trading fire with Israel in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas. Most of the deaths have been since September this year.