Israeli strikes Beirut, Israeli air strikes on central Beirut overnight left 22 dead and 117 wounded, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health. The strikes, which hit residential areas in the densely populated Shia neighborhoods of Basta and Nweiri, are the deadliest in Beirut since the recent escalation. Rescue workers searched for survivors, with five people still unaccounted for in Basta, where a four-storey building was destroyed.

Hassan Jaafar, a 22-year-old witness, said he heard a “roar” before being knocked off his feet by a shockwave. “It felt like the war had expanded into our lives,” he stated. Civil defense personnel were assisting distressed locals in their efforts to locate lost loved ones and retrieve belongings.

According to reports, top Hezbollah figure Wafiq Safa might have been targeted but managed to escape. The Israeli government has not made any remarks. Due to the strikes occurring at roughly 20:00 local time, many residents were at home, which resulted in a high death toll.

This is the third time Israel has struck areas outside Hezbollah’s stronghold in Dahieh. Hezbollah has retaliated by attacking an Israeli military base in Haifa with explosive drones, in response to the strikes on Beirut. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has called for an inquiry into Israeli attacks on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.

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