At least eight people have died, 59 have been injured – some critically – and two residential buildings have collapsed following an Israeli airstrike in southern Beirut, Lebanon’s health ministry said.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claimed a “targeted” strike on the Lebanese capital had assassinated senior Hezbollah military figure, Ibrahim Aqil, as planned, sharply escalating the year-long conflict between Israel and the militant group.
“At this moment, there are no changes in the Home Front Command defensive guidelines. We will update regarding any changes,” the IDF said, referring to security precautions in force in Israel itself.
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The military said Aqil – who is the head of special operations and one of the most senior military commanders in the organisation – is part of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.
The attack hit near key Hezbollah facilities and flattened at least two multistory residential buildings in the densely populated area, security sources said.
Specialised teams had begun searching for those under the rubble, Lebanon’s civil defence said, instructing people to evacuate the site of the destruction in the Jamous area.
Ambulances were seen transporting the victims, both the dead and the injured, from the area, including a large number of children and women, NNA reported.
Reuters witnesses heard jet noise over the city around the time of the attack, and a cloud of smoke could be seen rising from the area.
Footage of the targeted area broadcast by Lebanon’s al-Jadeed showed burnt-out cars and a street strewn with rubble.
Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV said the southern suburbs, known as the Dahiyeh, had been subjected to an act of aggression with preliminary reports suggesting just one person had been killed and 14 wounded.
Ignited by the war in the Gaza Strip, the Hezbollah-Israel conflict has intensified significantly this week, with the Iranian-backed group suffering an unprecedented attack in which pagers and walkie-talkies used by its members exploded, killing 37 people and wounding thousands.
On Thursday night, the Israeli military carried out its most intensive air strikes in southern Lebanon since the conflict erupted almost a year ago.
– with CNN