At least 11 killed after Israeli strike flattens building in central Beirut, Civil Defense says

November 23, 2024 MeighTimbol News 0
Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in the Basta neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, on November 23, 2024.
CNN NEWS | Published November 23, 2024

At least 11 people have been killed and several others injured after an Israeli strike flattened a multi-story residential building in central Beirut overnight, Lebanese officials said.

Israel has been escalating its attacks on the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah despite ongoing ceasefire efforts.

Rescue workers in Lebanon were on Saturday searching for survivors under the rubble in the densely populated Basta area of the Lebanese capital, authorities said.

The attack left a “deep crater” in the area that it hit, the country’s state National News Agency (NNA) reported, blaming powerful “bunker busting” bombs.

At least 63 other people were injured in the strike, according to a toll provided by Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not issue an evacuation order for the area ahead of the strikes, and has not yet commented on the attack.

Elsewhere, the Israeli military said that it had struck Hezbollah targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Saturday morning. Evacuation orders were issued for a number of buildings in the area. Later on Saturday, NNA reported that “a very strong airstrike” targeted a building in the southern suburbs.

Israeli strikes have also continued in the Tyre area on the coast. NNA reported Saturday that one of its reporters was 50 meters away from a drone strike on a beach in Tyre. The target and casualties are unconfirmed.

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SOURCE: www.cnn.com

RELATED: Powerful Israeli airstrike in central Beirut kills 11, Lebanese health ministry says

Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut’s Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi Purchase Licensing Rights
Published November 23, 2024
BEIRUT, Nov 23 (Reuters) – A powerful airstrike killed 11 people in central Beirut on Saturday, the health ministry said, shaking the capital as Israel pressed its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
An eight-story building was struck with four missiles, including bunker-penetrating types designed to hit underground targets, said a Lebanese security source.
Israel has used bunker-busting weapons to kill senior Hezbollah figures, including its veteran leader Hassan Nasrallah in a strike on southern Beirut in September.
Saturday’s blasts shook the capital at around 4 a.m. (0200 GMT) and left a deep crater. Beirut smelled strongly of explosives for hours afterwards.
Rescuers searched through rubble, in an area of the city known for its antique shops.
It was the fourth Israeli airstrike this week targeting a central area of Beirut, in contrast to the bulk of Israel’s attacks on the capital region, which have hit the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs. On Sunday an Israeli airstrike killed a Hezbollah media official in the Ras al-Nabaa district of central Beirut.
The Israeli air force also struck Hezbollah targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the group’s stronghold, the Israeli military said. In a statement on actions on Saturday, it did not mention the strike on central Beirut.
It accused Hezbollah of embedding its infrastructure in civilian areas and using the population as human shields, allegations the group denies.

 

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SOURCE: www.reuters.com

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