As per reports on Thursday (3 October), an Israeli air strike on a building in central Beirut killed at least five people and wounded eight others. The building housed a Hezbollah-affiliated health center, and this marks Israel’s first strike close to the city center. Several other airstrikes targeted Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburbs of Beirut, following intensified clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The conflict escalated after Israel reported the deaths of eight soldiers during ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for destroying Israeli tanks and targeting troops with missiles and gunfire. Israel’s ground offensive aims to dismantle Hezbollah’s “terrorist infrastructure” near the border, with further strikes expected in the coming days.
Lebanese authorities reported that more than 1,200 people have been killed, and 1.2 million displaced due to Israeli attacks across Lebanon. The country remains in a state of emergency, as Israel continues its offensive following cross-border hostilities triggered by the war in Gaza. Both sides are engaging in fierce combat, with Hezbollah showing resistance despite heavy losses from Israeli air and ground operations.
Meanwhile, Israel’s air defenses successfully intercepted most of the over 180 ballistic missiles fired by Iran in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. More than 240 rockets were launched from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. As the conflict escalates, U.S. President Joe Biden has stated that he does not support an Israeli retaliatory strike on Iran’s nuclear sites but remains in discussion with Israel over its next steps.
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