Israeli Airstrikes in Beirut: Deadly Escalation in Lebanon Conflict

Israeli airstrikes targeted a neighborhood in the heart of Lebanon’s capital late Monday evening, slamming into an area near the Parliament, several embassies and the U.N. headquarters, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said at least five people were killed and 31 wounded. An Associated Press reporter at the scene in Beirut described significant casualties on the street as ambulance sirens echoed through the area. Since late September, Israel has dramatically escalated its bombardment of Lebanon, vowing to cripple the militant group Hezbollah and end its barrages into Israel. Over the past year, more than 3,500 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli fire — 80% of them in the past month — Lebanon’s Health Ministry says. The current wave of conflict gripping the Middle East began when the Palestinian militant group Hamas stormed from Gaza into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Hezbollah began firing into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, in solidarity with Hamas. Israel’s war in Gaza has killed over 43,800 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. The officials do not distinguish between militants and civilians but say most of those killed are women and children. The fighting has left 77 people dead in Israel, including 31 soldiers.