An apparent Israeli airstrike on Monday morning hit central Beirut for the first time since the 2006 war, according to reporters on the ground in the city. A week-long bombing campaign in Lebanon has decimated the leadership of Hezbollah and sent hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing north.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have yet to claim credit for the bombing. The attack, which hit the upper floor of a residential building, according to Reuters and the Associated Press (AP), as reported by RT, injured over a dozen people a source in the Lebanese Civil Defense told AP on condition of anonymity. The strike reportedly also killed a member of the al-Jamaa al-Islamiya militant group.
The strike in the capital’s Kola district killed three leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the organization has confirmed. A week-long bombing campaign on Lebanon has decimated the leadership of Hezbollah and sent hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing north. –RT
The Israeli military has conducted a series of bombings against senior Hezbollah leaders, killing most of them, including the group’s chief Hassan Nasrallah. This war has been fairly one sided, with responses nothing like the warnings coming from the militant groups.
Lebanon Is Now In A “State of WAR” With Israel
Hezbollah has been said to be Israel’s target, and not the ruling class of Lebanon. However, the lackluster response from the group and the Lebanese ruling class has been made apparent.
Hundreds Dead and More Than 1,200 Wounded in Intensive Israeli Airstrikes Targeting Lebanon
Israel has said that its goal is to create conditions for some 60,000 of its citizens evacuated from northern Israel to return to their communities. According to a report by The Guardian, Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, appears to have hinted that Israel intends to mount a ground invasion of Lebanon after he told troops in the north of the country that “We will use all of our capabilities – including you.” Gallant added that returning Israelis to their homes in the north was “the mission of the IDF.”
