Israel Strikes Beirut Suburb; Civilian Deaths Mount Across Southern Lebanon
Israel launched an airstrike on Beirut at approximately 14:00 (11:00 GMT), targeting a residential area in Dahieh, a Shia suburb known as a Hezbollah stronghold. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) described the operation as 'targeted' but offered no further specifics. Israeli media, citing anonymous sources, claimed the strike aimed at Ali al-Husni, head of the missile force within the Iranian-allied Imam Hossein Division militia.
This attack follows waves of Israeli strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Both Israel and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shia group, have accused each other of breaching the ceasefire, which commenced last month.
Thick smoke was observed billowing over residential buildings in Dahieh following the attack, with residents reportedly calling out for neighbours and relatives amidst the arrival of rescue services.
Civilian Toll Rises in Southern Lebanon
The Beirut strike coincided with an announcement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the expansion of ground operations, following Hezbollah drone attacks on Israeli troops occupying southern Lebanon and civilians in northern Israel.
The IDF issued an evacuation order on Wednesday, urging residents to move north of the Zahrani River, approximately 40km (25 miles) from the Israeli border, stating it would act 'with extreme force'. This order covered some 300 towns and villages, encompassing roughly 14% of Lebanese territory, leaving many displaced residents with no clear destination.
In the early hours of Thursday, at least 11 people were killed in two separate Israeli strikes on Tyre and its eastern outskirts, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Social media footage from Tyre, one of Lebanon's largest cities, depicted streets illuminated by flames, smoke-filled roads, and burning vehicles. By daylight, a massive fireball was filmed erupting near residential high-rises, sending a mushroom-shaped column of smoke above the city.
Rescue operations in Tyre were reportedly halted due to ongoing 'dangerous conditions' and warnings from the Israeli military to evacuate the area. Further north, in Saida, a coastal city not included in the latest evacuation orders, an apartment owned by Hanaa Jamaa, 46, was hit at approximately 02:40, killing four people—two displaced individuals and two Saida residents. Jamaa stated, 'We aren't with Hezbollah and we aren't with Israel. We just want peace.'
Lebanon was drawn into the current conflict on 2 March after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel following an Israeli strike that killed Iran's supreme leader. Israel responded with an air campaign and ground invasion across Lebanon. According to the Lebanese health ministry, at least 3,224 people have been killed in Lebanon since the conflict began, a figure that does not differentiate between combatants and civilians. Israel reports 23 soldiers and four civilians killed on both sides of the border during the same period.
