By Summary
- Airstrike shakes Lebanese capital, hits central area.
- Rescuers comb through rubble in search of survivors.
- Latest in Israel’s major offensive against Hezbollah since September.
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 23 (AfrikTimes) – A powerful airstrike killed 11 people in central Beirut on Saturday, the Lebanese Civil Defense said, shaking the capital as Israel pressed its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
The attack leveled an eight-storey building and caused a large number of fatalities and injuries, Lebanon’s National News Agency said. Footage broadcast by Lebanon’s Al Jadeed TV showed at least one destroyed building and several others badly damaged around it. Israel used bunker buster bombs in the strike, leaving a deep crater at the site, the agency said. Beirut smelled strongly of explosives hours after the attack.
People gather at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut’s Basta neighborhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi.
The blasts shook the capital at around 4 a.m. (0200 GMT). Security sources said at least four bombs were dropped in the attack. This marked the fourth Israeli airstrike this week targeting a central area of Beirut, differing from the majority of attacks that have primarily focused on Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs. Earlier in the week, an Israeli strike in the Ras al-Nabaa district killed a Hezbollah media official. Rescuers continued to search through the rubble in areas known for antique shops and vibrant markets.
HOSPITALIZED FAMILY MEMBERS
Among the chaos, a distraught man tried to comfort a traumatized woman outside a hospital, surrounded by shattered car windows and debris.
“There was dust, wrecked houses, people running and screaming,” said Nemir Zakariya, whose family was severely affected. “My wife is in the hospital, my daughter is in the hospital, my aunt is in the hospital,” he added, holding up a picture of his injured daughter.
Emergency services work at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut’s Basta neighborhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi.
“This is the little one, and my son also got hurt. This is my daughter; she is in the American University of Beirut Medical Center. This is what happened,” said the man, holding a picture of his injured family.
Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon in September, following nearly a year of cross-border hostilities triggered by the Gaza war. The campaign has included extensive airstrikes across Lebanon and the deployment of ground troops in the south.
According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 62 people and injured 111 on Thursday alone, bringing the total casualties since October 2023 to 3,645 dead and 15,355 injured. The figures do not differentiate between combatants and civilians. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have accused Israel of indiscriminate bombing that kills civilians. Israel denies the allegations and says it takes extensive precautions to avoid civilian casualties.
Rescuers work the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut’s Basta neighborhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah attacks during the same period have killed more than 100 people in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. They include more than 70 soldiers killed in strikes in northern Israel and in combat in southern Lebanon, according to Israel reports.
The conflict began when Hezbollah, Iran’s key regional ally, launched attacks in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas, following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.
A U.S. mediator travelled to Lebanon and Israel this week in an effort to secure a ceasefire. The envoy, Amos Hochstein, indicated progress had been made after meetings in Beirut, before going to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.
A view of rubble at a damaged site in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on the Chiyah district of Beirut’s southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Lebanon November 23, 2024.
