Israel unleashed a series of airstrikes on Friday on the southern outskirts of Beirut, an area seen as a hotbed of Lebanon’s Iran-linked Hezbollah movement.
In the evening, the Israeli army carried out four airstrikes on the outskirts, bringing to twelve the number of hits targeted in the area on Friday.
The latest wave focused on the neighborhoods of Ghobeiri, Galerie Semman, Chiyah and Haret Hreik.
The bombing caused fires and resulted in the collapse of buildings, Lebanese state news agency NNA reported.
Israel has previously hit several buildings in the Hadath and Haret Hreik neighborhoods, for which the Israeli army had previously issued evacuation warnings.
Residents are usually told by the Israeli army to keep a distance of at least 500 meters.
Head of major hospital killed in separate attack
The head of a major hospital in eastern Lebanon was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
Ali Rakan Alam, the director of Dar Al Amal University Hospital, was killed along with six colleagues in a “treacherous aggression” against his home, the ministry added.
According to the ministry, the hospital is the largest in the northeastern province of Baalbek-Hermel.
“This martyrdom comes amid the Israeli hostile army’s continued attacks on healthcare workers and institutions in a cascade of war crimes,” the ministry added in a statement.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
The UN says four Italian peacekeepers were injured in the attack
The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon reported another attack on its facilities, wounding four personnel.
The UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said four Italian peacekeepers were injured on Friday when two rockets hit the headquarters of the UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
“Two rockets hit Sector West headquarters in Shama, wounding four Italian peacekeepers who are now being treated at the base hospital. Fortunately, none of the injuries are life-threatening,” UNIFIL added in a statement.
The rockets, likely launched by Hezbollah or affiliated groups, hit a bunker and a logistics area used by the international military police, causing significant damage to nearby infrastructure, the statement said.
One of the affected buildings caught fire, but the fire was quickly extinguished by base personnel, UNIFIL said.
“This is the third attack on this UNIFIL base in Shama in a week.
Today’s attack comes amid heavy shelling and ground skirmishes in the Shama and Naqoura areas in recent days, raising tensions in the region.
The peacekeeping force said it strongly urges the warring parties to avoid fighting next to their positions.
Also in southern Lebanon, five paramedics were killed in two separate Israeli attacks.
One of them hit a car belonging to the Islamic Health Authority Association, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, at the Deir Qanun-Ras al-Ain intersection, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
Three paramedics from the same association were killed in another attack in Al Qatarni.
Through Thursday, Israel had killed at least 214 health workers and injured 321 others, the ministry said.
Nearly 3,600 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Lebanon since October 2023, although most of the deaths have occurred since September.
According to Lebanese health authorities, more than 15,000 people have been injured and more than 1 million displaced.
Women and children are reportedly among the eight new deaths in Gaza
Women and children were among the latest victims in Gaza City after an Israeli airstrike, Palestinian media reported on Friday.
According to the WAFA news agency, eight people were killed. There were also casualties in the attack on a house in the city’s northern Shejaiya district, it said.
The information could not initially be independently verified. The Israeli military said it is investigating the alleged incidents.
WAFA also reported repeated deadly attacks by Israeli forces in other locations in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the Hamas-controlled health authority in the closed-off coastal area warned that hospitals could be closed or restricted within 48 hours due to a lack of fuel.
According to the Israeli military, it is continuing operations against Hamas fighters in the Jabaliya refugee district in the northern Gaza Strip.
Officials said Israeli forces had discovered about 300 buildings containing explosives there so far.
The Israeli military also said it had last week killed the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) rocket unit, which had been responsible for numerous rocket attacks on Israel.
Smoke rises from a building hit by an Israeli missile in the Chiyah area, on the outskirts of Beirut’s southern suburbs. Israel continued its airstrikes on Lebanon as the country celebrated its independence day. Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Smoke and fire erupted from a building as soon as an Israeli missile hit the Chiyah area, on the outskirts of Beirut’s southern suburbs. Israel continued its airstrikes on Lebanon as the country celebrated its independence day. Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
