Israeli airstrikes hit two buildings in a densely populated area of central Beirut on Thursday, Lebanon said, in what appeared to be the deadliest attack in the Lebanese capital in more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
The strikes killed at least 22 people and wounded at least 117 others, Lebanese officials said.
Lebanon's state-run news agency reported that one of the strikes had targeted an eight-story building in the Ras el-Nabaa neighborhood, while the other had leveled a four-story building in the Basta neighborhood. Videos verified by The New York Times showed that the building in Basta had been destroyed and adjacent buildings had been damaged. Two plumes of thick, acrid smoke could be seen rising above the city skyline.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes. But it has been systematically targeting Hezbollah leaders and sites in a heavy bombing campaign in areas in and around Beirut and in a ground invasion in southern Lebanon.
The strikes came hours after United Nations officials said that Israeli forces had fired on U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, wounding two and touching off international criticism of the Israeli military's offensive against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group.
The U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, known by its acronym, UNIFIL, said the two soldiers, from Indonesia, had been injured when an Israeli tank fired toward and directly hit an observation tower at the force's headquarters in Naqoura, Lebanon.
At a separate base nearby, the U.N. force said, Israeli soldiers fired at the entrance of a bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging vehicles and communications equipment.
The U.N. mission condemned the strikes, saying in a statement that "any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law."
The Israeli military said Thursday that Israeli troops operating in the Naqoura area, next to a UNIFIL base, had instructed the U.N. forces in the area to move to "protected spaces," and then "opened fire in the area." The military said that Hezbollah "operates from within and near civilian areas in southern Lebanon, including areas near UNIFIL posts."
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said Thursday on the social platform X that it is crucial that Israeli forces "do not threaten the safety and security of UN peacekeepers. UNIFIL must be able to operate freely and in accordance with its mandate."
The strikes killed at least 22 people and wounded at least 117 others, Lebanese officials said.
Lebanon's state-run news agency reported that one of the strikes had targeted an eight-story building in the Ras el-Nabaa neighborhood, while the other had leveled a four-story building in the Basta neighborhood. Videos verified by The New York Times showed that the building in Basta had been destroyed and adjacent buildings had been damaged. Two plumes of thick, acrid smoke could be seen rising above the city skyline.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes. But it has been systematically targeting Hezbollah leaders and sites in a heavy bombing campaign in areas in and around Beirut and in a ground invasion in southern Lebanon.
The strikes came hours after United Nations officials said that Israeli forces had fired on U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, wounding two and touching off international criticism of the Israeli military's offensive against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group.
The U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, known by its acronym, UNIFIL, said the two soldiers, from Indonesia, had been injured when an Israeli tank fired toward and directly hit an observation tower at the force's headquarters in Naqoura, Lebanon.
At a separate base nearby, the U.N. force said, Israeli soldiers fired at the entrance of a bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging vehicles and communications equipment.
The U.N. mission condemned the strikes, saying in a statement that "any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law."
The Israeli military said Thursday that Israeli troops operating in the Naqoura area, next to a UNIFIL base, had instructed the U.N. forces in the area to move to "protected spaces," and then "opened fire in the area." The military said that Hezbollah "operates from within and near civilian areas in southern Lebanon, including areas near UNIFIL posts."
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said Thursday on the social platform X that it is crucial that Israeli forces "do not threaten the safety and security of UN peacekeepers. UNIFIL must be able to operate freely and in accordance with its mandate."
