The news that a powerful airstrike killed 11 people in central Beirut on Saturday rocked the Lebanese capital as Israel launched its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, according to the country’s civil defense.
According to the National News Agency of Lebanon, the attack resulted in numerous fatalities and injuries as well as the destruction of an eight-story building. Al Jadeed, a station in Lebanon, aired footage that showed at least one building completely destroyed and numerous others severely damaged nearby.
Israel, using bunker-buster bombs, carried out the strike, leaving a deep crater, according to the agency. Hours after the attack, Beirut had a strong explosives odor.
The explosions rocked the capital around 4 am (0200 GMT). According to security sources, the attack included the dropping of at least four bombs.
The majority of Israel’s attacks on the capital region have targeted the southern suburbs controlled by Hezbollah, but this was the fourth Israeli airstrike this week to target a central area of Beirut. An Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed a Hezbollah media official in the central Beirut district of Ras al-Nabaa.
In an area of the city known for its antique stores, rescuers combed through debris.
A HOSPITALIZED DAUGHTER
A man, whose family had endured hardship, tried to comfort a traumatized woman outside of a hospital. Car windows were broken.
A man named Nemir Zakariya held up a picture of his daughter and said, “There was dust and wrecked houses and people running and screaming; they were running. My wife is in the hospital, my daughter is in the hospital, and my aunt is in the hospital.”
“This is my daughter, who is currently receiving treatment at the American University of Beirut Medical Centre. My son also sustained injuries in this incident.”
The Gaza war sparked nearly a year of cross-border fighting, and in September Israel launched a major offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, sending troops into the south and bombarding large swaths of the country with airstrikes.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israeli strikes killed at least 62 people and injured 111 more on Thursday, bringing the total number of fatalities and injuries since October 2023 to 3,645 and 15,355, respectively. The figures do not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government accuse Israel of killing civilians through indiscriminate bombing. Israel disputes the accusation and claims to take many precautions to prevent civilian casualties.
Hezbollah strikes in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights have claimed the lives of over 100 people during the same time period. According to Israel, they include over 70 soldiers killed in battle in southern Lebanon and in strikes in northern Israel and the Golan Heights.
The war started when Hezbollah, Tehran’s most significant regional ally, opened fire in support of Hamas, its Palestinian ally, following its attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
In an attempt to negotiate a ceasefire, a U.S. mediator visited Israel and Lebanon this week. The envoy, Amos Hochstein, informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz that they had made progress after meetings in Beirut.
