At least five people have lost their lives, and eight others have been injured following an Israeli airstrike on a building in central Beirut, according to Lebanese officials. The multi-storey structure in the Bachoura area housed a health center affiliated with Hezbollah, which Israel’s military characterized as a target of a “precision” attack.
This incident marks the first Israeli strike near the center of Beirut, just meters from Lebanon’s parliament, and follows five other airstrikes against targets in the southern suburb of Dahieh overnight. The escalation comes after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported the deaths of eight soldiers during combat in southern Lebanon, marking their first casualties since the initiation of ground operations against Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has claimed to have destroyed Israeli tanks during the fighting and asserted that it possesses sufficient manpower and ammunition to repel Israeli forces. Earlier, the IDF stated that more infantry and armored troops have joined the operation aimed at dismantling what they referred to as “terrorist infrastructure” in villages along the Lebanese border.
Recent strikes resulted in three explosions heard in Dahieh, with another blast occurring closer to the city center. Following the IDF’s warnings to local residents, two additional airstrikes targeted facilities that the IDF claimed belonged to Hezbollah, a group the Israeli government designates as a terrorist organization.
Before the overnight strikes, Lebanon’s health ministry reported 46 fatalities and 85 injuries in Israeli bombings over the past 24 hours, without distinguishing between civilian and combatant casualties. Among the deceased was Kamel Ahmad Jawad, a 56-year-old U.S. permanent resident from Michigan, who was in Lebanon to care for his elderly mother. The White House confirmed his death, calling it a tragedy alongside the numerous civilian casualties in Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s capabilities have been significantly impacted by the recent airstrikes and skirmishes, with more than 1,200 people reported killed and around 1.2 million displaced across Lebanon since the beginning of hostilities, according to local authorities. Israel’s offensive follows nearly a year of escalating cross-border tensions triggered by the war in Gaza, with the stated goal of ensuring the safe return of residents displaced by Hezbollah’s attacks.
Israeli troops encountered Hezbollah fighters for the first time on the second day of their ground invasion into Lebanon. The IDF announced that soldiers, supported by aircraft, had “eliminated terrorists and dismantled terrorist infrastructure through precision-guided munitions and close-range engagements” in various southern Lebanese locations. Subsequently, the IDF reported that eight of its soldiers were killed, predominantly from elite commando units.
In a show of defiance, Hezbollah claimed that its fighters fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli commandos, resulting in significant casualties for the Israeli forces. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to the fallen soldiers, asserting that they died “in the midst of a tough war against Iran’s axis of evil.” He expressed confidence that the IDF’s ground offensive would ultimately weaken Hezbollah and facilitate the return of approximately 60,000 Israelis to their homes near the border.
As tensions mount, Israeli air defenses successfully intercepted the majority of over 180 ballistic missiles launched by Iran towards Israel in retaliation for an earlier airstrike in Beirut that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a senior Iranian commander. On Wednesday alone, more than 240 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon towards northern Israel, according to the IDF.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden has stated that he does not endorse an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites, indicating that discussions will continue between the U.S. and Israel regarding potential responses to the Iranian missile barrage.