Israel Bombs Central Beirut, Targeting Hezbollah Infrastructure

Israeli forces launched a new wave of strikes on central Beirut, saying they were targeting infrastructure tied to Hezbollah and hitting buildings close to the Lebanese government’s headquarters and residential apartment blocks.

San Juan Daily Star reported that "the Israeli military launched a new wave of strikes on central Beirut on Thursday evening, saying it was targeting infrastructure belonging to the militant group Hezbollah."

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera described the strikes as an escalation, noting that "The targeting of central Beirut marks an escalation in a week and a half of intensified Israeli bombing across Lebanon, which has killed at least 687 people and wounded more than 1,500, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health."

Sight Magazine said the strikes hit "two buildings in the heart of Beirut near the Lebanese government’s headquarters on Thursday, ramping up Israel’s offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah," while The New York Times reported that "Israel struck an apartment building in central Beirut on Wednesday morning, injuring at least four people."

The strikes are part of a wider campaign that Lebanese authorities say has produced heavy civilian losses and mass displacement, though reported tolls vary by outlet.

Al Jazeera and Al-Jazeera Net put the Lebanese death toll in the high 600s — "killed at least 687 people" and "resulting so far in 687 dead, including 98 children and 52 women," respectively — while Sight Magazine said strikes were "killing nearly 700 people, according to Lebanese authorities."

Al Jazeera

The Detroit News reported a lower figure, saying "Israel's strikes on Lebanon have killed 634 people since March 2, including 91 children," and Democracy Now! emphasised the rapid pace of deaths: "We are at almost 700 people in under two weeks. That’s approximately 50 people a day."

These differences across outlets show variation in reported counts even as all describe a severe toll and widespread displacement of civilians.

Multiple outlets documented strikes that hit displaced people and shelters on Beirut’s seafront, with conflicting immediate casualty figures reported.

“Then Israel attacked it”

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera’s coverage included a headline that an "Israeli ‘double-tap strike’ hits displaced on Beirut seafront, kills eight," while later in the same piece it said "At least 12 people were killed in an Israeli double-tap strike earlier on Thursday in the seafront area of Ramlet al-Baida, where displaced families were sleeping in tents."

Sight Magazine likewise reported that a pre-dawn strike "killed 12 people" and "hit a seafront sidewalk where dozens of displaced families had set up tents and were sleeping out in the streets."

The New York Times also reported that "one of the strikes killed at least seven people and injured 21 more in the Beirut neighborhood of Ramlet al Baida," underscoring inconsistencies in early counts even as all accounts describe strikes that struck areas used by displaced civilians.

The exchanges have broadened the conflict’s regional dimensions: Hezbollah has fired barrages into northern Israel, Iran’s new supreme leader issued defiant statements, and Israeli officials have warned of a possible larger ground operation.

San Juan Daily Star noted the strikes "came hours after Iran’s new supreme leader struck a defiant tone Thursday, vowing to keep blocking a vital oil route and to avenge 'the blood of the martyrs.'"

Al-Jazeera Net

Al Jazeera reported that "the Lebanese armed group has responded with waves of rocket strikes against Israel, including a large salvo that was launched on Wednesday evening in coordination with Iran."

Israeli officials and reporting cited by Al-Jazeera Net and U.S. News & World Report warn of escalation: Al-Jazeera Net said Tel Aviv is "considering launching a 'powerful' ground operation in Lebanon that would begin within a week," while U.S. News quoted an Israeli warning that "if the Lebanese government could not prevent Hezbollah from attacking Israel, 'we will take the territory and do it ourselves.'"

Humanitarian agencies, Lebanese officials and reporters highlighted the mounting humanitarian crisis: massive displacement, overcrowded shelters, and dire conditions for those uprooted.

“(Writing by Tom Perry”

Al-Monitor

Al Jazeera said the country is "grappling with a worsening displacement crisis, with 90 percent of government shelters full."

Al-Monitor

The Detroit News described life in shelters as "super rough conditions" and reported that "Less than a quarter of the 800,000 displaced had found space in government shelters."

The New York Times and San Juan Daily Star both emphasised that the strikes have "driven 800,000 people from their homes" and left displaced residents saying, "I don’t feel like there is a safe place for us to go anymore," respectively.

Democracy Now! noted international attention, reporting that "Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Beirut. He wrote online, quote, 'I have just landed in Beirut for a visit of solidarity with the people of Lebanon. They did not choose this war.'"