An entire residential building was leveled in a deadly Israeli strike on central Beirut Thursday, according to a Lebanese security source. The strike targeted a senior Hezbollah official in a densely populated neighborhood, resulting in at least 22 people killed and 117 wounded, as reported by Lebanon's health ministry.
Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the strikes or confirmed the specific targets. The attacks focused on parts of central Beirut, far from Hezbollah's stronghold in the city's southern suburbs. Witnesses and a Lebanese security source confirmed that a multi-story building in the upper Baste neighborhood, housing residents and displaced individuals, collapsed after being hit by a bomb.
A senior Hezbollah official, Waqif Safi, who leads Hezbollah's liaison unit, was reportedly the target of the strikes but survived the assassination attempt, according to sources within the militant group and Israeli media reports. Another strike hit the third floor of a building in Beirut's Al Nuwara neighborhood, with firetrucks and ambulances responding to the scene.
Following the strikes, people gathered outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center where casualties were being treated. The emotional toll was evident as an elderly woman received devastating news of the loss of Abbas' son and daughter, leading her to tears.
The United States expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah but emphasized the importance of protecting civilians during operations. The State Department urged Israel to take all feasible steps to safeguard civilians, especially in densely populated areas like Beirut.
