7 killed in Israeli strike in central Beirut after 8 soldiers died fighting Hezbollah

At least seven health and rescue workers were killed in an Israeli strike overnight in the Lebanese capital Beirut, news agency AP reported quoting an Islamic health organisation on Thursday. Amid the growing tensions in West Asia, Israel continues to pound Beirut leaving several buildings in shambles.

The airstrike in the residential Bashoura district targeted an apartment in a multi-story building that houses an office of the Health Society, a group of civilian first-responders affiliated to Hezbollah.

It was the closest strike to the central downtown district of Beirut, where the United Nations and government offices are located.

The strike came as Israel was pursuing a ground incursion into Lebanon against Hezbollah, while also conducting strikes in Gaza that killed dozens, including children. The Israeli military said eight soldiers have died in the conflict in southern Lebanon.

Earlier reports put the death toll at six, with seven others reported injured in the Wednesday night strike.

It is pertinent to note that if the claims made by the Lebanese health official turn out to be true, it would mean that Israel conducted a war crime by targeting a health centre in the region. According to The Guardian, the medical centre belonged to the Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Organisation. This is the second time central Beirut has been targeted since Israel began its bombing campaign a couple of weeks ago.

Another significant fact to note is that central Beirut houses Lebanon’s parliament and the United Nation’s regional headquarters.

Meanwhile, the Israeli forces also targeted the southern district of Dahiyeh, which is where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed last week. The IDF also issued warnings across Lebanon urging residents to evacuate.

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“Urgent warning to the residents of the southern suburb, specifically those in the building specified in the map in the Hadath Gharb neighbourhood and the neighbouring buildings,” IDF’s Arabic language spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“You are located near Hezbollah facilities and interests, against which the IDF will operate in the near future. For your safety and the safety of your family members, you must evacuate this building and the surrounding buildings immediately and stay away from them for a distance of no less than 500 meters,” he added.

#عاجل ‼️ انذار عاجل إلى سكان الضاحية الجنوبية وتحديدًا المتواجدين في المبنى المحدد في الخريطة في حي حدث غرب والمباني المجاورة

🔴أنتم متواجدون بالقرب من منشآت ومصالح تابعة لحزب الله حيث سيعمل ضدها جيش الدفاع على مدى الزمني القريب
🔴من أجل سلامتكم وسلامة أبناء عائلتكم عليكم… pic.twitter.com/lsqXDUHk7M

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 2, 2024

Israel lays eye on central Beirut for the first time since 2006

Israel has targeted central Beirut twice in the current wave of airstrikes since it began raining missiles on Hezbollah strongholds. This is the first time that the Israeli military has turned its attention to central Beirut since 2006.

Israel had for long avoided this region of Beirut, concentrating its attacks on southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital until September 30. An AFP report said the Israeli military used a drone to hit a popular intersection where travellers flock to take buses and taxis.

Thursday’s attack in the Bachoura suburb was the second military strike by Israel in central Beirut over four days.

Face-to-face combat erupts in Lebanon’s south

Tensions started to escalate further after the Israeli military engaged in “close-range encounters” with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. It was the first day of face-to-face combat since Israel invaded the region on Monday.

The Israeli forces noted that they had destroyed “Hezbollah attack infrastructure”, “eliminated terrorists,” and “dismantled terrorist infrastructure” through precision-guided munitions and close-range engagements. In a separate statement, the military noted that seven Israeli soldiers were killed in two face-to-face confrontations with Hezbollah.

The deaths followed an earlier announcement of the first Israeli combat death in Lebanon since the start of the incursion. A 22-year-old captain in a commando brigade was killed. Meanwhile, another seven troops were wounded. in the attack. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said late on Wednesday that Israeli attacks in Lebanon had killed 46 people and injured 85 in the previous 24 hours.