Seven dead in Israeli airstrike on central Beirut

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An Israeli airstrike killed at least seven people at a medical facility in the heart of Beirut in the early hours of Thursday. It was the worst attack to hit the capital since fighting began.

The attack occurred near Lebanon's parliament building and government headquarters in a densely populated neighborhood far from the southern suburbs of the capital, which Israel has attacked in the past two weeks.

The medical facility was linked to the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, and the bombing killed seven emergency workers and medics and injured several others in the bombing, according to the group.

The Israeli military said it launched a “precise attack” but did not disclose a target. Several airstrikes were also reported in the city's southern suburbs.

The attack came two days after Israel announced a land offensive in southern Lebanon and suffered its heaviest casualties there in nearly a year of fighting. The Israeli military said eight soldiers were killed and several injured in clashes with Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.

It came as Israel stepped up its offensive against Hezbollah as the region prepared for its response to Tehran's attack on Tuesday, which fired 180 rockets at Israel and increased fears of an all-out war. The US said Israel had the right to respond, although US President Joe Biden said any response must be “proportionate” and he opposed attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Iran said its rocket attack on Israel was in retaliation for Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week and the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.

The Israeli military has regularly launched devastating attacks on the densely populated southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, where Hezbollah has a strong presence. It has attacked a location within city limits only once in this conflict, when it killed three leaders of a Palestinian militant group in an apparent drone strike that destroyed a floor of an apartment building.

According to Lebanese authorities, more than 1,000 people have been killed in the Israeli attack in Lebanon over the past two weeks. In the last 24 hours, 46 people were killed and 85 injured.

A large explosion was heard across the city in the early hours of Thursday morning. Footage from the scene showed smoke billowing over the night skyline and ambulance sirens wailing. Footage from Lebanese news agencies showed the blast also damaged a cemetery.

“Another sleepless night in Beirut. I count the explosions that rock the city. No warning sirens. I don't know what's next. Only this uncertainty lies ahead. Fear and anxiety are everywhere,” said Jeanine Hennis, the UN special coordinator in Lebanon, on X.

The National News Agency also counted 17 Israeli bombings in southern Beirut neighborhoods.

Beyond its militant activities, Hezbollah has a political party and an extensive network of social services for its constituency that runs parallel to state institutions. These include schools, social institutions and health facilities like on Thursday.

Additional reporting by Ahmed Al Omran in Jeddah