Israeli strikes on a heavily populated region in central Beirut late on Thursday resulted in the deaths of at least 22 people, Lebanese health ministry said.
"The Israeli enemy's attacks on the capital Beirut this evening resulted in a new toll of 22 people killed and 117 injured," the ministry said in an updated toll statement.
Following the strikes, Hezbollah ’s Al Manar TV reported that an effort to kill Wafiq Safa, a top security official with the militant group, had failed. It said that Safa had not been inside of either of the targeted buildings.
The attack came the same day as Israeli forces opened fire on United Nations peacekeepers stationd in southern Lebanon and wounded two of them.
Over the past two weeks, Israel has repeatedly targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. However, Thursday's raid marked only the third instance that the city center has been targeted.
According to Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA), the strikes impacted the Nweiri and Basta neighborhoods.
"The first strike in Beirut targeted the third floor of an eight-storey building" in the Nweiri area, and a second strike hit "a four-storey building... in al-Basta al-Fouqa", NNA reported.
Rescue services and local residents worked together to pull survivors from the rubble, with some being carried away on stretchers, news agency AFP reported.
For nearly a year, Lebanon's Hezbollah movement and Israel have been engaged in near-daily cross-border fire, stemming from the Gaza war.
However, since September 23, Israel has intensified its air strikes on targets in Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,200 people and the displacement of over one million, according to official figures.
"The Israeli enemy's attacks on the capital Beirut this evening resulted in a new toll of 22 people killed and 117 injured," the ministry said in an updated toll statement.
Following the strikes, Hezbollah ’s Al Manar TV reported that an effort to kill Wafiq Safa, a top security official with the militant group, had failed. It said that Safa had not been inside of either of the targeted buildings.
The attack came the same day as Israeli forces opened fire on United Nations peacekeepers stationd in southern Lebanon and wounded two of them.
Over the past two weeks, Israel has repeatedly targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. However, Thursday's raid marked only the third instance that the city center has been targeted.
According to Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA), the strikes impacted the Nweiri and Basta neighborhoods.
"The first strike in Beirut targeted the third floor of an eight-storey building" in the Nweiri area, and a second strike hit "a four-storey building... in al-Basta al-Fouqa", NNA reported.
Rescue services and local residents worked together to pull survivors from the rubble, with some being carried away on stretchers, news agency AFP reported.
For nearly a year, Lebanon's Hezbollah movement and Israel have been engaged in near-daily cross-border fire, stemming from the Gaza war.
However, since September 23, Israel has intensified its air strikes on targets in Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,200 people and the displacement of over one million, according to official figures.
You may also like
Colorado gold mine: 12 rescued, 1 dead after being stuck for hours
31 million passwords leaked in 'catastrophic' cyberattack on Internet Archive
Pakistan: Islamabad, Rawalpindi to shut businesses for five days ahead of SCO summit
Princess Beatrice and Eugenie's girls day out as they celebrate huge milestone
