At least four killed, 33 injured in Israeli missile strike in central Beirut

A powerful Israeli airstrike targeted central Beirut early on Saturday, security sources said, shaking the Lebanese capital as Israel pressed its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

At least four people were killed, and 33 others injured in the strike, according to Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV, citing Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

Several powerful blasts shook Beirut at around 4 a.m. (0200 GMT). At least four rockets were fired in the attack, two security sources said.

Later, Lebanon state media said at least five Israeli missiles struck a residential building in the heart of Beirut.

“Beirut, the capital, woke up to a horrific massacre, as the Israeli enemy’s air force completely destroyed an eight-story residential building with five missiles on Al-Mamoun Street in the Basta area,” the National News Agency reported.

Sirens could be heard as ambulances raced to the scene of the blast in Beirut’s Basta neighbourhood.

Footage broadcast by Lebanon’s Al Jadeed showed at least one destroyed building and several others badly damaged around it.

It marked the fourth Israeli airstrike this week targeting a central area of Beirut. On Sunday an Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah media official in the Ras al-Nabaa district.

Israel launched a major offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon in September, following nearly a year of cross-border hostilities ignited by the Gaza war, pounding wide areas of Lebanon with airstrikes and sending troops into the south.

The conflict began when Hezbollah opened fire in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas after it launched the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.