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An Israeli airstrike struck a residential building in central Beirut early Wednesday, according to Lebanese state media, marking the second time the heart of the capital has been targeted since the regional conflict escalated.
Lebanon became directly involved in the conflict last week after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel following the reported killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during joint United States-Israeli strikes.
Israel, which had continued operations against Hezbollah despite a ceasefire reached in 2024, has since expanded its military actions across Lebanon while deploying ground troops to areas along the border.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that “the enemy targeted an apartment in the Aisha Bakkar area,” a densely populated district in central Beirut located near one of the city’s largest shopping centres.
Footage captured showed the moment of the strike, with the sound of a powerful blast followed by flames bursting from an apartment inside a multi-storey residential building.
Authorities had not confirmed any casualties at the time of the report.
Newsmen the scene observed extensive structural damage on the seventh and eighth floors of the building, along with several vehicles destroyed nearby. Security personnel were also deployed to the area.
Fawzi Asmar, a bakery owner whose shop is located on the same street, described the frightening moment the airstrike occurred.
“When the first strike hit, I rushed from room to room, grabbed my wife and daughter, and hid them behind a wall,” he said. “Then the second strike followed.”
Samer Knio, a civil defence paramedic involved in the rescue operation, said falling debris and shattered glass struck his team as they attempted to evacuate victims from the site.
“But God protected us,” he added.
Last week, the Israeli military also targeted a hotel in central Beirut. Iran later said the attack killed four of its diplomats.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli forces also carried out an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area widely regarded as a Hezbollah stronghold.
The Israeli military had issued evacuation warnings to residents a day earlier ahead of the attack.
Hezbollah stated Tuesday that its fighters had engaged Israeli troops near the southern border towns of Khiam and Odaisseh, while also launching rockets toward Israel, including one targeting a missile defence facility south of Haifa.
The group later claimed it was confronting Israeli forces near the border town of Aitaroun using light and medium weapons.
Meanwhile, Lebanese authorities reported that about 759,300 people have been registered as displaced due to the ongoing hostilities, with roughly 122,600 currently sheltering in designated centres.
The Lebanese health ministry also confirmed that a series of Israeli strikes on the southern town of Qana killed five people and injured five others.
In Hennawiyeh, two people were initially wounded in an overnight strike before a second attack killed them along with a rescuer who had arrived to assist.
Another strike in Zalaya reportedly claimed one additional life, the ministry added.
Israeli airstrike damages residential building in Central Beirut
