BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, Oct 2 (Askume) – Israel bombed the city of Beirut on Thursday morning, killing at least six people, in the deadliest attack in a year – long conflict between Israeli forces and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah along the Lebanese border .
Israel said it had carried out precision air strikes on Beirut. Askume witnesses heard a large explosion and a security source said the attack targeted a building in Beirut’s Bahourah neighbourhood near parliament, the closest building to the Lebanese government headquarters in Israel.
Lebanese health officials said at least six people were killed and seven injured. A photo circulating on a Lebanese WhatsApp group, which Askume could not immediately confirm, showed a heavily damaged building with fire on the first floor.
Lebanese security officials said three missiles also struck the southern suburb of Dahiya, where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed last week, and a loud explosion was heard. Israel carried out more than a dozen attacks on the southern suburbs on Wednesday.
Israel said on Wednesday that Israeli troops moved into territory of its northern neighbour a day after Iran fired more than 180 missiles at Israel , while eight Israeli soldiers were killed in ground fighting in southern Lebanon.
Regular infantry and armor units joined ground operations in Lebanon on Wednesday, the Israeli military said, as Iranian missile attacks and Israeli promises of retaliatory strikes raised fears that the oil-producing Middle East could be caught in a wider conflict.
Hezbollah said its militants clashed with Israeli forces in Lebanon. The movement reported the first ground clashes since Israeli troops crossed the border on Monday. Hezbollah said it destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks with rockets near the border town of Maroun Elras.
“We are at the culmination of a difficult war against Iran’s axis of evil, which seeks to destroy us,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a condolence video.
He said, “This will not happen because we will stand together and with God’s help, we will win together.”
At least 46 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes in the southern and central regions of the country in the past 24 hours, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
Iran said on Wednesday that its missiles – its biggest attack yet on Israel – had been deactivated and there was no need for further provocation, but Israel and the United States promised a strong response.
US President Joe Biden said he would not support any Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities in response to its ballistic missile attacks and urged Israel to take “appropriate” action against its regional foe.
The White House said Biden participated in a call with key G7 leaders on Wednesday to coordinate a response to Tehran, including new sanctions.
The G7 leaders expressed “grave concern” about the crisis in the Middle East, but said a diplomatic solution was still possible and a region-wide conflict was in nobody’s interest, a statement said .
Hezbollah said it pushed back Israeli troops near several border towns and fired rockets at military targets inside Israel.
Mohammed Afeef, the paramilitary group’s media chief, said the fighting was just the “first wave” and that Hezbollah had enough fighters, weapons and ammunition to repel Israel.
The involvement of infantry and armor units of the Israeli 36th Division, including the Golani Brigade, the 188th Armored Brigade, and the 6th Infantry Brigade, suggests that the operation may expand beyond a limited commando assault.
The army said the main goal of the offensive was to destroy tunnels and other infrastructure along the border, with no plans to launch a wider operation targeting Lebanon’s northern capital Beirut or major southern cities.
1.2 million Lebanese displaced
Still, he issued new evacuation orders for about two dozen towns along the southern border, directing residents to move north to the Awali River, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of the Israeli border, flowing east to west.
More than 1,900 people have been killed and over 9,000 injured in nearly a year of cross-border fighting in Lebanon, with most of the deaths occurring in the last two weeks, according to Lebanese government figures.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said about 1.2 million Lebanese had been displaced by the Israeli attacks.
Sudanese Queen Juma, her husband and two children were evicted from their home near Sidon in the coastal region of southern Lebanon and forced to take refuge in St. Joseph’s Church in Beirut.
“It’s good that the church is helping. We’re going to be living on the streets; where are we going to go?”
Iran said Tuesday’s missile attacks were a response to Israel’s killing of terrorist leaders including Nasrallah, attacks against the group in Lebanon and Israel’s war against Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza.
The missile strike caused no casualties in Israel but killed one person in the occupied West Bank.
