In an attempt to assassinate Wafiq Safa, the head of Hezbollah's Coordination and Liaison Unit in the group's political arm, Israeli troops killed at least 22 and left 117 injured during airstrikes on Oct. 10 on residential buildings in Beirut.
According to the Lebanese media outlet Al Mayadeen, the assassination attempt on the Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa failed. The attack marks the third Israeli strike outside Beirut's Southern Suburbs, following previous attacks on the Kola and Bashoura areas.
Reports indicated that the first aerial attack targeted the third floor of an eight-story residential building located between the densely populated areas of Ras al-Nabaa and Al-Nuwairi in central Beirut. Another airstrike hit a four-story building in the nearby Basta neighborhood, leveling the infrastructure.
A post on X by The Cradle attached a video of the actual bombing site. The post's caption indicated that the initial death toll was 11 and at least 48 were injured before the figures ballooned to 22 and 117, respectively.
Local correspondents also confirmed that both strikes resulted in multiple casualties as many people remained trapped beneath the rubble. Al Mayadeen tweeted in real-time saying: "Circulating footage shows fires raging and thick smoke billowing from the targeted building as ambulances rushed to the scene."
The said strike had been the third Israeli attack following Israel's assault on the Kola and Bashoura neighborhoods of the city. Escalations have also continuously hit Lebanon's southern and eastern regions, killing well over 2,000 people and displacing about one million.
United Nation's human rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said 12 women and two children were among the casualties from the bombing, which destroyed a residential building that had been recently rented out to a family displaced from the south.
Washington expresses opposition to Israel's strikes in Beirut
Despite being Israel's closest ally, the United States government said the recent attacks have been alarming.
On Tuesday, Oct. 15, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington had raised "concerns" with the Israeli government over the "scope and nature" of its bombing of Beirut in recent weeks.
"Israel does have a right to defend itself against those terrorists who pose a threat to the state of Israel, but we've had real concerns about the nature of the campaign that we saw roll out across Beirut over the past few weeks," he said. "We've seen [the number of strikes] come down over the past few days."
Separately, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Department of Defense chief Lloyd Austin wrote to Israeli officials on Sunday, Oct. 13, demanding concrete measures to address the worsening situation in Gaza and telling them to take specific actions within 30 days.
Also, Laurence called for an investigation into the recent attack, which he said has raised concerns with respect to "the laws of war." Some Western countries have been pushing for a ceasefire between the two neighbors, as well as in Gaza, though the United States continues to support Israel.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened that he would continue striking the group in Lebanon "without mercy," including Beirut. The next night, he said in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron that he was opposed to a unilateral ceasefire, "which would not change the security situation in Lebanon and would return the country to its previous state."
Meanwhile, Hezbollah Deputy Leader Naim Qassem issued his own threat to Israel, saying the group has "a new calculation" to inflict pain on its enemy. Speaking in a televised address, he also called for a ceasefire, saying that it was the only solution to the current conflict. "If the Israelis do not want that, we will continue," he added.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 2,350 people over the last year and left nearly 11,000 wounded, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Additionally, more than 1.2 million people have been displaced. (Related: MASS EXODUS: Thousands flee amid Israeli bombings in Lebanon.)
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