Schools in Beirut were closed on Monday following Israeli airstrikes that killed six people, including Hezbollah’s media relations chief, Mohammed Afif. The strikes are part of escalating violence as Israel targets Hezbollah strongholds to secure its northern border.
The strikes on Sunday hit densely populated areas of central Beirut that had previously been spared in the ongoing conflict. Among the casualties was Afif, a key figure in Hezbollah’s leadership and one of the few officials who engaged with the press.
In response, Lebanon’s education ministry ordered schools and universities in the Beirut area to close for two days. The war has disrupted education across the country, with many schools repurposed as shelters for displaced families.
Israel expanded its military operations to Lebanon in late September, intensifying a conflict that initially focused on Gaza. Hezbollah began low-intensity strikes on Israel following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, which killed over 1,200 people in Israel. In return, Israel has ramped up strikes against Hezbollah, killing senior leaders, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah in September.
Lebanese authorities report over 3,480 deaths since October 2023, with most casualties occurring in recent months. Israel has also suffered losses, with 48 soldiers reportedly killed in clashes with Hezbollah.
Another Israeli strike hit a busy shopping district in Beirut, causing a massive fire fueled by exploding diesel tanks. The fire was largely extinguished by Monday morning.
Lebanon’s military, not involved in the conflict, reported that two of its soldiers were killed in an Israeli attack on a southern army center. Israel claims to have struck over 200 targets in Lebanon within 36 hours, including Hezbollah’s strongholds in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, the Israeli military continued its campaign, targeting militant strongholds. Strikes in Beit Lahia on Sunday killed 34 people, including children, and left dozens trapped under rubble. The United Nations has condemned the dire humanitarian conditions, with officials describing the situation as “catastrophic.”
Gaza’s health ministry reports a death toll of 43,846 civilians since the war began, a figure deemed reliable by the United Nations.