Israel accused of uncommon central Beirut strike
A Palestinian militant group stated three of its leaders had been killed in an Israeli assault on central Beirut early on Monday, in what could be the primary time Israel’s army had struck the centre of Lebanon’s capital metropolis since 2006.
The Widespread Entrance for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a militant group collaborating within the combat towards Israel, stated three senior figures had been killed within the Beirut assault, with preliminary footage from the scene displaying two storeys of an house constructing utterly blown out, and onlookers operating in direction of the constructing.
Two our bodies may very well be seen mendacity on the road atop a automobile outdoors the constructing, seemingly ejected by the power of the blast. The sound of the explosion was heard across the metropolis.
There was no fast remark from Israel’s army.
The Beirut strike, carried out utilizing a drone, in accordance with one supply quoted by Agence France-Presse, hit close to the Kola intersection, a preferred reference level within the metropolis, the place taxis and buses collect to choose up passengers.
Key occasions
Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general Naim Qassem giving handle
Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general, Naim Qassem has begun an handle, and stated the group misplaced a brother and a frontrunner when Israel assassinated Hassan Nasrallah. He has provided condolences to the households of all people who was killed in the identical strike.
Reuters experiences, citing the state information company WAM, that the UAE is to pledge an pressing reduction help bundle value $100m (£74.5m / €89.3m) to Lebanon.
Whereas Israel steps up its assaults on targets inside Lebanon to its north, the Israeli army additionally continues operations in Gaza to its south-west. Hani Mahmoud reporting for Al Jazeera from Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, tells the information community:
Since this morning, we’ve been seeing funeral after funeral within the halls of the hospital. And there are extra our bodies nonetheless within the morgue as officers are ready for members of the family to reach and take them for burial. Moreover, extra shelters have been attacked by Israel, deepening the trauma because it performs out this psychological warfare. The Palestinians’ sense of security is shattered by these assaults.
Al Jazeera has been banned from working inside Israel by Benjamin Netanyahu’s authorities, which has additionally raided and closed the community’s officie within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution metropolis of Ramallah.
There are a number of unconfirmed experiences of explosions being heard in Damascus in Syria.
Extra particulars quickly …
Our video workforce have put collectively this report on Israel’s assault towards the Houthi-controlled Yemeni Crimson Sea port metropolis of Hodeidah.
Israel’s army has said on its official Telegram channel that within the final hour about 35 projectiles have crossed into northern Israel from Lebanon. It stated “a number of projectiles had been intercepted and the remainder fell in open areas”. There aren’t any experiences of any casualties.
There are media experiences that Hezbollah deputy secretary-general, Naim Qassem, might be giving a speech at midday native time (9am GMT).
Extra particulars quickly …
Iran is not going to go away any of “the prison acts” of Israel unanswered, Iranian international ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani stated in a weekly information convention on Monday, Reuters experiences.
In different Iranian response, the Tasnim information company quotes head of the Iranian authorities data council, Elias Hazrati, saying:
We are going to present the defeat of Israel to the individuals of the world. The expertise of the previous a number of a long time exhibits that the web page will return.
Hezbollah’s foundations are so sturdy that there isn’t a chance of disruption on its path. Hezbollah has kicked Israel out of Lebanon many instances. A terrorist who ought to have been arrested is now ordering assassinations from the United Nation.
Hezbollah has not used its weapons and now it should begin. The Islamic Republic of Iran stands by the individuals of Lebanon and Hezbollah, and we use all our capability to assist Hezbollah and the individuals of Lebanon.
Listed below are among the newest photographs despatched to us from Lebanon over the information wires.
The European Union’s international coverage chief Josep Borrell is convening a rare casual assembly of EU international ministers on Monday to debate the EU’s response to the most recent escalation in Lebanon, Rueters experiences an EU spokesperson stated on Monday.
Peter Beaumont
Right here is the most recent round-up of reports from the Center East disaster from my colleague Peter Beaumont:
Israel’s quickly increasing warfare on a number of fronts noticed it strike central Beirut for the primary time since 2006 early on Monday, after heavy Israeli air strikes involving dozens of plane bombed Yemen hours earlier in a protracted vary raid.
The newest strike got here because the UN reported some 100,000 individuals had fled Lebanon for Syria because the newest escalation within the warfare and as CNN quoted an unnamed determine within the Biden administration saying that the US has modified it army posture within the Center East amid considerations Iran would possibly assault Israel in response for Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah’s ling time chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday.
The Beirut strike focused three senior figures within the Widespread Entrance for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a gaggle related to a collection of excessive profile plane hijackings within the Seventies.
The left wing faction, which has not performed a major position within the ongoing battle between Israel and the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, stated that its army and safety commanders in Lebanon, and a 3rd member, had been killed within the assault.
Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, and elsewhere continued on Monday because the Palestinian militant group Hamas stated its chief in Lebanon was killed Monday in a strike on the nation’s south.
Monday’s airstrike comes after Lebanon’s well being ministry stated 105 individuals had been killed and one other 359 injured by Israeli strikes throughout the nation on Sunday. Greater than 1,000 Lebanese have been killed and 6,000 wounded up to now two weeks, it stated, with out saying what number of had been civilians. The federal government stated one million individuals – a fifth of the inhabitants – have fled their properties.
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