 "Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a residential complex in the Leylaki neighbourhood in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 23, 2024. Source: AFP.")
A wave of Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold on Wednesday night claimed the life of at least one person and injured five others.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, Israeli airstrikes hit a residential complex in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh.
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) described the Israeli strikes as the “most violent” in Beirut’s southern suburb since the Iran-Hezbollah conflict began on September 23.
NNA further said there were 17 Israeli raids on Dahiyeh late Wednesday which destroyed six buildings around the suburb of Laylaki. A residential complex was also hit by four Israeli strikes “causing a large fire”, it further said.
Also, pro-Iran broadcaster Al-Mayadeen said an Israeli strike hit one of its offices in Beirut and they had to vacate it.
The viral video footage of the latest Israeli strike in Beirut shows a large fireball rising through buildings near the al-Laylaki area, accompanied by the sound of explosions.
Civilians warned before strike
Minutes before the strikes, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee had warned civilians to stay at least 500 meters away from Hezbollah-affiliated locations in the Burj al-Barajneh and Hadath areas of Dahiyeh, as they were about to be targeted.
However, as per a report by AFP, there was no warning for a strike that hit the Jnah neighbourhood in southern Beirut.
US asks Israel to avoid escalation with Iran
The Israeli strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs came moments after United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a visit to Israel, told its ally to avoid any further escalation with Iran.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIsrael is fighting Iran-backed Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. It has vowed to retaliate against Iran for an October 1 ballistic missile attack.
Tyre city in southern Lebanon ‘shook’ after Israeli strike
Israeli strikes also pounded Tyre in southern Lebanon, leaving swathes of its centre in ruins and sparking a new exodus from the once vibrant coastal city.
“The whole city shook,” a report by AFP quoted resident Rana, who fled to the seafront after the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning, as saying.
Thick plumes of black smoke were seen rising from several neighbourhoods, with some areas just 500 metres (550 yards) from the city’s ancient ruins.
As per Bilal Kashmar of Tyre’s disaster management unit, seven buildings were levelled and more than 400 apartments damaged.
“You could say that the entire city of Tyre is being evacuated,” Kashmar was quoted as saying by AFP.
Meanwhile, UNESCO said it was “closely following” the conflict’s impact on Tyre’s World Heritage site.
‘Hezbollah plotting ‘attack even greater than on Oct 7’
After nearly a year of war with Hamas in Gaza, Israel, last month, shifted its focus to Lebanon, vowing to secure its northern border under fire from Hezbollah.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel had uncovered that Hezbollah had been plotting an “attack even greater than on October 7” involving jeeps, missiles and underground tunnels.
“They were planning an invasion,” Netanyahu told French broadcasters CNews and Europe 1.
Hezbollah confirms death of Nasrallah’s successor
Hezbollah, on Wednesday, confirmed the death of Hashem Safieddine, a cleric tipped to succeed the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, a day after the Israeli army announced his death.
Meanwhile, a report by AFP quoted a Western diplomat as saying that a number of Western countries had floated the idea of deploying international forces to Lebanon in the event of a ceasefire.
About 10,000 UN peacekeepers are already deployed in Lebanon’s south, but the diplomat mentioned that a separate multi-national troop deployment was under consideration.
With inputs from agencies.