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Targeted strike in Beirut
Israel hit Beirut in a “targeted manner” at about 14:00, with the Israel Defense Forces saying the attack was only the second time Beirut had been struck since the start of a ceasefire last month.
The BBC reported that thick smoke billowed across residential buildings in Dahieh after the strike, and residents called out to neighbours and relatives as rescue crews rushed in.
The BBC also said Israeli media cited unnamed sources that the target had been Ali al-Husni, head of the missile force in the Imam Hossein Division, an Iranian militia allied to Hezbollah.
The UPI report said the strike occurred ahead of a scheduled meeting at the Pentagon in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli military delegations to discuss consolidating the April 17 cease-fire and other security arrangements.
UPI added that the Israeli Army confirmed it carried out a targeted attack aimed at killing Ali al-Husseini of the “Imam HusseinDivision” that coordinates between Iran and Hezbollah, according to the Israeli Ynet English-language website.
Evacuation orders and casualties
The BBC said the strikes came after Netanyahu announced an expansion of a ground operation following Hezbollah drone attacks on troops occupying part of southern Lebanon and on civilians in northern Israel.
The BBC reported that on Wednesday the IDF urged residents to move north of the Zahrani River, about 40km (25 miles) from the Israeli border, saying it would act "with extreme force."
The BBC stated that at least 11 people were killed in two sets of Israeli strikes which hit Tyre and an area to the city's east early on Thursday, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
In L'Orient Today’s live updates, Israeli warplanes carried out new strikes Thursday on the villages of Yohmor al-Shaqif and Debbine in Marjayoun district, and Kafra in Bint Jbeil district.
L'Orient Today also reported that Hezbollah claimed responsibility for two additional attacks targeting Israeli vehicles and a newly established Israeli position in the occupied village of Odaisseh, in Marjayoun district, using two exploding drones.
Talks threatened by escalation
The BBC said the escalation threatens to derail talks aimed at ending the war between the US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, and that Iran insists that any deal must also cover Lebanon.
In L'Orient Today, Tasnim reported that the text of a potential memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States has not yet been finalized or approved, and that reports in some Western media outlets claiming that an agreement had already been concluded were false.
UPI said the strike hit a residential building in the Chouaifat area, setting a second-floor apartment on fire, and that ambulances and rescue workers rushed to the site amid initial reports that at least one person was killed and others were wounded.
The BBC quoted Mohamad saying, "There's nothing here!" and added that he waved his hands while describing the pressure on people.
L'Orient Today said Nabatieh Civil Defense announced it had been forced to suspend its operations in Nabatieh Fawqa “due to the enemy’s advance,” adding that rescue teams remained present in the city of Nabatieh farther north.
