Israel Launches Airstrikes on Beirut as Iranian President Stands Defiant

Airstrikes on Beirut

Israel Strikes Beirut as Tensions Escalate with Hezbollah

Israel’s military has announced the killing of 15 Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon and conducted airstrikes in Beirut following a particularly deadly day on the Lebanese front. This escalation comes amid ongoing clashes with the Iran-backed group and nearly a year of conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

After a series of intense airstrikes, Israel deployed ground troops into southern Lebanon. The military stated it "eliminated" key Hamas figures, including Rawhi Mushtaha, the head of the Hamas government in Gaza, in strikes carried out three months ago.

In Bint Jbeil, a southern Lebanese town, an airstrike targeted a municipal building, reportedly killing 15 Hezbollah members. Meanwhile, a separate strike in Beirut resulted in at least nine deaths, with local health authorities indicating that several victims were staff members of a Hezbollah-linked civil defense group.

Witnesses described a massive explosion in the Bachoura district, just a few hundred meters from the Lebanese parliament, marking one of the closest Israeli strikes to downtown Beirut. The U.N. special coordinator in Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, shared her concerns on social media about the anxiety and fear gripping the city amid the ongoing violence.

The latest attacks follow an unprecedented assault by Iran on Israel, which was framed as retaliation for the targeted killings of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. Iran has warned that any further provocation will be met with a decisive response.

In the diplomatic sphere, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani urged for serious ceasefire efforts to end what he described as Israeli aggression in Lebanon, emphasizing that lasting peace in the Middle East hinges on the establishment of a Palestinian state. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian echoed these sentiments, warning against complacency in the face of Israeli actions.

As hostilities continue, Israeli missiles also struck the southern suburb of Dahiyeh, where significant Hezbollah leaders were recently targeted, further escalating tensions in the region.

Israel Launches Airstrikes on Beirut as Iranian President Stands Defiant