Apartment Building in Beirut Struck as Israel Expands Air Campaign

By Maya Gebeily and Laila Bassam

BEIRUT – An apartment building in Beirut was struck by an Israeli airstrike on Monday, marking the first attack within the city as Israel intensified its actions against Iran’s regional allies. Witnesses reported that the strike hit the upper floor of an apartment complex in the Kola district of Lebanon’s capital.

A security source indicated that at least two individuals were killed in the attack. There was no immediate response from the Israeli military regarding the incident.

The recent increase in Israeli attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi militia in Yemen has raised alarms about a potential escalation of conflict across the Middle East that could involve Iran and the United States, Israel’s primary ally.

On Sunday, Israel conducted airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen and targeted numerous Hezbollah sites throughout Lebanon, following the earlier assassination of a Hezbollah leader. The Houthi-run health ministry reported that at least four people were killed and 29 others wounded in strikes on Yemen’s port of Hodeidah, which Israel stated were in retaliation for Houthi missile assaults.

In Lebanon, authorities confirmed that Israeli airstrikes on Sunday led to at least 105 fatalities. The Lebanese Health Ministry reported over 1,000 deaths and 6,000 injuries in the past two weeks, though it did not specify the number of civilian casualties. The government also indicated that around a million people, or one-fifth of the population, have been displaced from their homes.

The ongoing bombardment has resulted in the deaths of several high-ranking Hezbollah leaders, including its commander Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Israel has pledged to continue its military operations, aiming to restore security in northern areas that have been impacted by Hezbollah rocket fire.

Israeli drones hovered over Beirut for much of Sunday, and the sounds of new airstrikes reverberated throughout the capital. Displaced families took refuge on benches at a popular waterfront area in Beirut.

Many of Israel’s strikes have targeted southern Lebanon, the region where the Iran-backed Hezbollah operates, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut. The attack in the Kola district appeared to be the first within Beirut’s city limits. Residents reported that Syrians who had fled Israeli bombardments were sleeping under a bridge in the area for several days.

The United States has called for a diplomatic solution to the situation in Lebanon while also authorizing military reinforcements to the region. U.S. President Joe Biden, when asked about the possibility of avoiding a widespread war in the Middle East, asserted, “It has to be,” adding that he intends to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.