A massive Israeli strike has flattened a residential building in centre of the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Explosions shook the city following the Israeli attack, which happened at about 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Saturday.
“We were deep asleep and then the strike happened and then a second strike.
On Monday, Iran-backed Hezbollah said its spokesman Mohammed Afif had been killed in an air strike.
In recent months, Israeli strikes have killed several top Hezbollah members in Beirut, including the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.
A residential building in the heart of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, was completely destroyed by a massive Israeli strike. According to the health ministry of Lebanon, at least 11 people have died and over 60 have been injured.
The National News Agency (NNA) of Lebanon reported that five missiles unexpectedly destroyed the eight-story building in the heavily populated Basta district of the capital.
After the Israeli attack, which occurred on Saturday at around 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT), the city was rocked by explosions.
The Israeli military refrained from commenting right away.
Though neither the Israeli military nor the armed group have confirmed it, the size of Saturday’s airstrike and the fact that it came as a surprise suggest that a senior Hezbollah figure may have been the target.
Teams of emergency personnel searched the Basta site, where smoke plumes rose from a massive crater. According to the health ministry, work is still being done to clear the site of debris.
When the pre-dawn attack started, Nemir Zarariya, a local, claimed that he and his family were asleep.
“The strike occurred while we were sound asleep, and then there was another strike. “What transpired was beyond our comprehension,” he stated.
There were people running and yelling, dust, and destroyed houses. Both my aunt and my wife are in the hospital, as is my daughter. “.”.
Israel has now attacked central Beirut four times this week. Iran-backed Hezbollah claimed on Monday that Mohammed Afif, its spokesperson, had been killed in an airstrike.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, was among the prominent Hezbollah members in Beirut who were killed by Israeli strikes in recent months.
The early Saturday morning attack was followed by more. Residents in southern Beirut who, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), were “near Hezbollah facilities and interests” were ordered to evacuate.
Fighter jets attacked several locations an hour later, including “a warehouse of weapons,” according to the IDF on X.
In September, the IDF launched a massive offensive against Hezbollah, sending troops into southern Lebanon and conducting airstrikes.
The conflict intensified after Iran-backed Hezbollah repeatedly launched rocket salvoes into Israel in support of Hamas, the Palestinian organization responsible for the deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Allowing the return of roughly 60,000 people who have been forced to leave communities in northern Israel due to Hezbollah’s attacks is Israel’s declared objective in its war against the organization.
According to Lebanese authorities, the conflict has killed over 3,500 people and displaced over a million people from their homes in Lebanon.
A US mediator traveled to Israel and Lebanon earlier this week in an effort to negotiate a ceasefire.
Amos Hochstein stated that some progress had been made, but he hasn’t discussed any specifics in public.
