Attack in downtown Beirut – multiple deaths and massive destruction

Israeli forces have launched multiple violent attacks – including in central Beirut – amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah. Fighting continues in southern Lebanon. According to Lebanese sources, Hezbollah is firing rockets into northern Israel as Israeli ground forces are advancing there.

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what happened?

At 4 a.m. local time, Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, encountered violent air strikes. An eight-story building was completely destroyed in the attack, the state news agency reported. Neighboring buildings were also severely damaged. Witnesses said the explosion shook the entire city. The losses were heavy.

The Israeli military has not previously issued evacuation requests to residents in the affected areas. The residential area is not far from the Parliament and the Grand Serail Government Palace.

Downtown Beirut suffered severe damage.Image: trapezoid

The Israeli air force also continued to launch attacks on the outskirts of the capital. Residents in the suburb of Dahia repeatedly called for evacuations, and airstrikes followed. Israeli forces have been conducting intensive attacks there since Friday.

How many victims are there?

At least 15 people died, according to authorities. The Lebanese Health Ministry said that a building was attacked in the densely populated Bastar district, injuring 63 people. The number of victims is expected to continue to increase.

In the morning, relatives and rescue workers continued to search for survivors in the rubble. “My mother and sister are still lying under the rubble,” one resident told the dpa news agency. Another resident, looking at the destroyed building, said: “My mother sleeps here, my three-year-old daughter sleeps here. Now they are in the hospital.”

Who was the target of this attack?

Lebanese security services reported that the target of the attack was a Hezbollah official. There were initially no further details.

Lebanese police in Beirut stand in front of a poster showing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in an Israeli attack. Image: trapezoid

The Israeli army spoke of attacks on Hezbollah weapons depots, command centers and “terror infrastructure”. Suburbs are densely populated residential areas. Many residents of Dahia have fled. The area is considered a Hezbollah stronghold. Even before another violent attack occurred in the past 24 hours, witnesses reported massive damage.

What is the current situation in southern Lebanon?

Meanwhile, Israeli forces continue to advance into strategically important locations in southern Lebanon. Lebanese security sources and local media reported that Israeli forces had advanced to various locations in the southeast and southwest. A key connecting road between the city of Nabatiya and the border town was also destroyed, security sources said. The road is considered an important supply route for Hezbollah militias. The Israeli army has not commented on the alleged troop movement.

Israeli forces also suffered losses during their offensive in southern Lebanon. Israeli soldiers at the funeral of a fallen colleague. Image: trapezoid

What does Israel want to achieve in southern Lebanon?

Israel wants Hezbollah to retreat behind the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the border – a requirement of UN Resolution 1701, which marked the end of the last war in 2006. The ceasefire draft currently under discussion envisages the full implementation of the resolution and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon.

How did Hezbollah react to this development?

Shia militias have apparently fired rockets into the swamps of northern Israel again. According to the Israeli military, five rockets struck the Metura area on the border with Lebanon. Haaretz newspaper quoted the local mayor as saying the rockets hit the agricultural area. No one was injured.

Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for multiple rocket attacks in northern Israel.

What impact will these attacks have?

Observers believe further developments could threaten ceasefire talks. Riad Kahwadschi, an expert and founder of INEGMA, a Dubai-based military research institute, told the dpa news agency that both sides were working to improve their situation ahead of a possible ceasefire. This may affect the discussion.

What is the background of the conflict?

The armed conflict between the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia and Israel has been going on for more than a year, but has intensified recently. According to its own account, Hezbollah is shelling neighboring countries in support of Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which carried out a massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people.

Israel has since been attacking targets in Lebanon and is now fighting ground forces in the south of the country. According to Lebanese authorities, the war in Lebanon has killed more than 3,500 people. In northern Israel, Hezbollah shelling killed 77 people, 46 of them civilians. (Sudanese Development Authority/Department of Political Affairs)

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