An Israeli airstrike in central Beirut on Monday killed five people, Lebanon’s health ministry reported, marking the second consecutive day Israel struck a target within the Lebanese capital as part of its ongoing campaign against the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.
The strike occurred in the densely populated Zuqaq al-Blat neighbourhood near central Beirut, where the Lebanese government is based. Smoke was seen rising from the area. Two people remain missing, and another 31 were injured, according to the health ministry.
Over the past week, Israel has intensified its bombardments in and around Beirut, while Hezbollah has continued its missile attacks on Israel. Meanwhile, US-led diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire have made progress. Lebanon and Hezbollah have agreed to a US ceasefire proposal and offered comments on its content, a senior Lebanese official told reporters on Monday, describing the effort as the most promising so far.
However, a diplomat familiar with the discussions warned that unresolved details could delay a final agreement. US envoy Amos Hochstein is expected to visit Beirut soon, according to a US source.
Israel has inflicted significant damage on Hezbollah since its offensive began in late September, including the killing of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Wide areas of Lebanon have been struck by Israeli air raids, and ground troops have been deployed to southern Lebanon.
On Monday evening, rocket sirens sounded across Tel Aviv and central Israel. Shrapnel from an intercepted missile fell on a main street in a Tel Aviv suburb, injuring six people, including a 54-year-old woman in serious condition, according to Israel’s ambulance service. Earlier in the day, a rocket strike on a building in Shfaram, northern Israel, killed an Israeli woman. The Israeli military reported that approximately five projectiles had been launched from Lebanon.
In a statement, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a series of drone attacks on “sensitive military sites” in Tel Aviv.
Israel’s recent airstrikes have primarily targeted Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut suburbs. However, on Sunday, Israeli strikes within Beirut’s city limits killed ten people, including Hezbollah’s top media official, marking the first such attacks in over five weeks.
Hochstein, who has previously conducted several rounds of unsuccessful ceasefire negotiations, expressed optimism last week about the prospects of an agreement.
On Monday, Lebanon submitted its written response to the US ambassador in Beirut, according to Ali Hassan Khalil, an aide to Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Hezbollah has supported Berri in leading negotiations on the ceasefire.
“All the comments that we presented affirm the precise adherence to (UN) Resolution 1701 with all its provisions,” Khalil said, adding that the success of the initiative now depends on Israel. “If Israel does not want a solution, it could make 100 problems,” he added.
Lebanon’s Labour Minister Mustafa Bayram, speaking after a meeting with Berri, said the speaker had noted a “positive atmosphere” in the ongoing diplomacy but urged caution against premature optimism.
Since the start of Israel’s offensive in September, 3,481 people in Lebanon have been killed, according to Lebanese authorities. These figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. In Israel, Hezbollah strikes have killed 43 civilians and 73 soldiers, with casualties reported in northern Israel, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and during combat in southern Lebanon.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
Follow us on:
