BEIRUT, Lebanon — On Saturday, Israeli airstrikes targeted central Beirut, resulting in the deaths of at least 11 individuals and leaving dozens injured, as diplomatic efforts to negotiate a cease-fire intensified.
Emergency responders from Lebanon’s Civil Defense stated that the death toll is likely to rise as they continue their search for survivors among the debris. This marked the fourth bombardment of the Lebanese capital in under a week.
The escalation of violence follows a visit by U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein to the region in an effort to facilitate a cease-fire agreement, aimed at halting more than 13 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which has escalated significantly in the past two months.
The ongoing Israeli air raids have resulted in over 3,500 fatalities in Lebanon, with injuries surpassing 15,000, as reported by the Lebanese health ministry. Approximately 1.2 million people, accounting for about a quarter of Lebanon’s population, have been displaced due to the hostilities. On Israel’s side, casualties include around 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians due to rockets, drones, and missiles amidst fighting in the northern regions.
The early morning strikes at 4 a.m. local time destroyed an eight-story building, leaving a substantial crater. A separate drone strike in Tyre, a southern port city, led to the death of one individual and injuries to another, according to the state-run National News Agency. Reports from the agency indicated that the victims were fishermen. An eyewitness, an Associated Press journalist located nearby, observed young teenagers preparing their nets shortly before the attack.
These strikes followed significant bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs the previous day, amid fierce ground confrontations between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, as Israeli troops advanced further from the border region.
Israel’s military has refrained from issuing any evacuation alerts for residents prior to the central Beirut strikes and has declined to comment on the recent attacks in Tyre. However, the military stated that it had carried out intelligence-led strikes on Hezbollah positions in Dahiyeh, a known Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut’s southern region, targeting several command centers and weapon depots. They asserted that warnings were given to civilians in the vicinity prior to these strikes.
Throughout Saturday, airstrikes in Gaza continued, claiming the lives of at least six individuals, including two women and several children, in the southern Khan Younis area, according to reports from local journalists and hospital staff.
Witnesses described scenes of mourning, with individuals grieving over what appeared to be a deceased man, as children assisted one another away from the destruction. Casualty figures in the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing conflict with Hamas are reported to have exceeded 44,000 this week, based on local health officials’ assessments. The Gaza Health Ministry has indicated that over half of these fatalities are women and children, although it does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its reporting. The Israeli military claims to have neutralized over 17,000 militants without providing verification for this statistic.
The conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants executed a surprise attack into southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, the majority being civilians, along with the abduction of around 250 individuals. Currently, about 100 hostages are believed to be held inside Gaza, with at least a third presumed deceased. Most other hostages were released during a previous cease-fire last year.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has inflicted widespread devastation, prompting concerns regarding the future rebuilding of the region. Nearly 90% of Gaza’s population, estimated at 2.3 million, has been displaced multiple times, with hundreds of thousands residing in makeshift camps lacking adequate food, water, and essential services.