Israel-Lebanon live: Israeli strike kills 22 in central Beirut attack ‘but misses senior Hezbollah target’
It comes after an Israeli airstrike on school housing displaced people in Gaza killed 28 and injured 54 others
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At least 22 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded as Israel launched fresh airstrikes on central Beirut, Lebanon’s health ministry has said.
The first strike on Thursday evening appeared to target an eight-story apartment block in Ras al-Nabaa, with witnesses reporting continued explosions within the building as a large emergency response rushed to the scene.
The second strike, in the area of Burj Abi Haidar, is reported to have collapsed an entire building. It was later seen engulfed in flames.
Israel has not previously struck the area, which is removed from Beirut’s southern suburbs where Hezbollah’s headquarters have been repeatedly bombed by Israel.
It did not issue evacuation warnings ahead of the strikes either, which were the deadliest attack on central Beirut since the beginning of the hostilities.
A senior Hezbollah official who was reportedly the target of the strikes nevertheless survived, according to three Lebanese security sources.
The sources said Wafiq Safa, who heads Hezbollah’s liaison and coordination unit responsible for working with Lebanese security agencies, was the target of the strikes.
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Israeli troops open fire on UN peacekeeper positions
The Israeli military opened fire at three positions held by UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Thursday, according to a UN source.
Speaking to Reuters, the source did not immediately specify the type of fire.
One of the locations under fire was the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon’s (UNIFL) main base in Naqoura.
UNIFL is a peacekeeping mission established in 1978, with 10,000 members from 46 nations tasked with helping the Lebanese Army keep the south protected from armed groups such as Hezbollah.
Palestinian Red Crescent shares video of aftermath of huge Israeli strike
The Palestinian Red Crescent has shared a video on X showing the aftermath of a huge Israeli strike on a school in Gaza, which was serving as a shelter for displaced people.
The organisation reported 28 deaths and 54 injures. The death toll was later updated from that shown in the tweet.
Israeli military confirms strike on Gaza school
The Israeli military has confirmed it carried out a strike on a school which was sheltering displaced people on Thursday, saying they were targeting militants.
It said in a statement: “Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.”
In pictures: Turkish citizens flee Lebanon by ship
Update: Gaza school strike killed 28 and injured 54, medics say
The death toll for the strike on a school in Gaza is now 28, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
54 people were also injured in the strike, the organisation reported.
The Palestinian Red Crescent is a humanitarian organisation which serves as Palestine’s branch of the International Red Cross.
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