Lebanese officials have reported that at least 11 people were killed and several others injured in a devastating Israeli strike that flattened a multi-story residential building in central Beirut overnight. The attack occurred in the densely populated Basta area of the Lebanese capital, leaving a deep crater and causing extensive damage.
Rescue workers are currently engaged in search and rescue efforts, combing through the rubble to locate any survivors. The strike, which utilized powerful bunker-busting bombs, also resulted in 23 additional injuries, as confirmed by Lebanon's Civil Defense.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have not issued an evacuation order for the area prior to the strikes and have not yet provided a statement regarding the attack. This incident is the latest in a series of Israeli strikes on central Beirut, with recent hostilities escalating following the killing of a Hezbollah spokesperson in an airstrike.
Most of the Israeli airstrikes have targeted the Lebanese militant group's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs. In a separate incident, the director general of Dar Al Amal University Hospital near Baalbek, along with six colleagues, were reportedly killed in an alleged Israeli strike, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. The IDF has stated that they are investigating reports of the strike on the hospital.
