On Monday (September 30), in the early hours of the morning, Israel carried out an airstrike on a residential building in the center of Beirut, Lebanon. The radical organization “Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine” (PFLP) stated that three of its leaders were killed in this attack.
This airstrike took place in the Kola district of Beirut, marking the first time Israel has targeted the city center since the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli War, which has caused instability in the Middle East.
According to on-site reporters from the Associated Press, the airstrike hit a residential building. Footage shows ambulances and crowds gathering near the building, located on a busy street lined with shops.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident.
The PFLP is another Sunni radical organization allied with Hezbollah and hostile to Israel. Just hours before this airstrike, Israel had also targeted numerous locations across Lebanon, significantly damaging Hezbollah’s command structure.
Following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Israel launched airstrikes on the Houthi rebels in Yemen on Sunday. Concerns arise that the conflicts in the Middle East may escalate rapidly, possibly prompting Iran and the United States to intervene.
The health ministry controlled by the Houthi rebels reported that at least four people were killed and 29 others injured in Israel’s airstrike on the port city of Hodeidah in Yemen. Israel stated that this was a response to the missile attacks by the Houthi rebels.
In Lebanon, authorities reported that at least 105 people were killed in Israel’s airstrikes on Sunday. The Lebanese health ministry stated that over the past two weeks, more than 1,000 Lebanese people have died and over 6,000 have been injured, though it did not specify how many were civilians.
Over the past two weeks, Israel’s intensified airstrikes have led to the deaths of several senior Hezbollah officials. Israel has vowed to continue its offensive until the northern regions become safe zones, allowing residents who were forced to flee Hezbollah attacks to return home.
The United States urged for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in Lebanon but has also authorized an increase in military presence in the region.
On Sunday, President Biden announced plans to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon to prevent a full-scale war from erupting in the Middle East.
The Israeli military stated that Hezbollah significantly escalated the frequency of their attacks in the past week, from dozens per day to hundreds. The attacks have caused injuries and damages, but most rockets and drones have been intercepted by Israel’s defense systems or landed in uninhabited areas.
Israel believes that its attacks have weakened Hezbollah’s capabilities, as if they hadn’t been targeted, the number of launches would have been much higher.