Israel carried out an attack on a building in Bashoura, a neighborhood in central Beirut, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA). The strike happened shortly after Israel issued an evacuation warning for the location, with smoke and a large explosion seen rising over the area.
The Beirut strike was part of a broader wave of Israeli attacks across Lebanon on Wednesday. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said the raids killed at least 20 people and injured 24 others. The attacks stretched from the capital to southern and eastern Lebanon, further deepening the regional crisis tied to the wider US-Israel war against Iran.
Officials said at least six people were killed in the strikes on Beirut, while dozens more were wounded.
Central Beirut Building Reduced to Rubble
Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera correspondent Zeina Khodr said Israeli attacks hit several parts of Lebanon overnight, including areas in central Beirut.
Standing near a 15-storey building destroyed in one of the strikes, Khodr said the lower floors of the same structure had already been targeted a week earlier. In the latest assault, however, the building was completely flattened. The Israeli military claimed Hezbollah had been storing cash inside the site.
Khodr said the surrounding neighborhood suffered extensive damage, with nearby buildings and streets also affected by the blast.
Israel Expands Pressure in Southern and Eastern Lebanon
Israel’s military said it had begun what it described as limited ground operations in southern Lebanon. It also issued evacuation warnings for residents in four towns near the Zahrani River and the Tyre area, telling them to move north immediately.
Lebanon’s NNA reported additional strikes before dawn in Tyre and the nearby district of Al-Burj Al-Shamali.
In eastern Lebanon, at least four people were killed after Israeli strikes hit four houses in the town of Sahmar in the Bekaa Valley.
The latest attacks reflect a growing escalation, with more areas of Lebanon being pulled deeper into the conflict.
Civilian Toll Continues to Rise
According to figures from Lebanon’s Health Ministry, the ongoing assault has now killed at least 912 people in Lebanon since Israel launched its offensive on March 2. Among the dead are 111 children. More than 2,200 others have been wounded.
The violence has also displaced over one million people, forcing families across the country to leave their homes amid continuing attacks and evacuation orders.
The United Nations warned on Tuesday that strikes on residential buildings and civilian infrastructure could amount to war crimes under international humanitarian law.
A spokesperson for the UN human rights office said that intentionally targeting civilians or civilian sites would amount to a war crime. The spokesperson also said Israel’s large-scale displacement orders in southern Lebanon could themselves breach international law.
Hezbollah Sets Conditions for Ending the War
Khodr also reported that Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem outlined conditions for ending the fighting during remarks the previous night. Those conditions included an end to Israeli attacks, the return of displaced residents to their homes, the release of people detained by Israel over the past two years, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces.
In southern Lebanon, Khodr said Hezbollah fighters remain active and are attempting to stop Israeli troops from advancing further. She noted that Hezbollah’s goal is not only to hold territory, but also to prevent Israel from establishing new positions inside Lebanon.
Regional Conflict Continues to Widen
The current conflict intensified after US and Israeli forces assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on February 28, according to the account in this report. Hezbollah then launched rockets into northern Israel on March 2, further escalating the confrontation.
Since then, Israeli attacks across Iran and Lebanon have killed more than 2,000 people, according to the figures cited in the report.
International concern is also growing. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has been a strong ally of Israel, warned that Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon was a mistake and said it risked making an already severe humanitarian crisis even worse.
Humanitarian Fears Deepen
As strikes continue across Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley, concern is mounting over the scale of destruction and the risk of even greater regional instability. The combination of air raids, civilian displacement, and warnings from international bodies has added urgency to calls for de-escalation.
The latest developments show that Lebanon is facing mounting human and material losses, while diplomatic pressure grows over the conduct of the war and its humanitarian consequences.