Anger in Beirut after massive Israeli attack that kills twenty

A massive Israeli airstrike on central Beirut has killed at least 20 people in the latest attack on the capital, amid an escalation of Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, according to Lebanese officials.

The attack took place without warning at around 4 a.m. (02:00 GMT) on Saturday and was an attempt to assassinate a senior Hezbollah official, Israeli media reported.

The attack was heard and felt throughout the city, destroying at least one eight-story residential building in the densely populated Basta neighborhood.

Lebanon’s National News Agency said a so-called bunker breaker bomb was used, a type of weapon previously used by Israel to kill senior Hezbollah figures, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The death toll rose from 15 to 20 on Saturday as emergency workers used heavy machinery to remove rubble and retrieve bodies.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health said this to more than 60 people was injured, and that the number of victims was expected to rise as DNA testing was carried out on recovered body parts.

“It was a very terrible explosion. All windows and glasses were above me, my wife and my children. My house is now a battlefield,” said 55-year-old Ali Nassar, who lived in a nearby building.

“Even if one person is hiding here… Should you destroy buildings with people sleeping inside? Is it necessary to kill all the people for one person? Or are we not human? That’s what I’m asking.”

According to Israeli public broadcaster Kan, the attack was an attempt to assassinate Mohammed Haydar, a top Hezbollah official. Hezbollah lawmaker Amin Sherri said none of the group’s leaders were involved in the attack, and Haydar’s fate remained unclear.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) did not comment.

Also on Saturday, the IDF carried out further airstrikes on the Dahieh, the area in southern Beirut where Hezbollah is based, saying they targeted buildings linked to the group.

Israeli attacks have also hit the south, where an Israeli ground invasion is advancing, and the east, where airstrikes in the town of Baalbek killed at least 15 people, including four children, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

In the past two weeks, Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia and political movement, amid international efforts for a ceasefire, in what appears to be a strategy to pressure the group to accept an agreement.

The escalation comes as renewed negotiations to end more than a year’s conflict showed first signs of progress. This week, Amos Hochstein, who has led the Biden administration’s diplomatic efforts, held talks in Lebanon and Israel to try to advance a US-drafted deal.

Since the conflict intensified in late SeptemberLebanese authorities have said any deal must be limited to the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

The resolution includes the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters and weapons in areas between the Blue Line – the unofficial border between Lebanon and Israel – and the Litani River, about 30 km from the border with Israel.

Israel says this has never been fully respected, while Lebanon says Israeli violations include military flights over Lebanese territory.

According to a Western diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity, the proposal includes a 60-day ceasefire that would include the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the removal of Hezbollah’s presence from the area. The Lebanese army would then strengthen its presence there with thousands of additional troops.

But disagreements remained on some elements, the diplomat added, including the timeline for an Israeli withdrawal and the formation of an international mechanism to monitor the deal.

According to a key Lebanese source, both Hezbollah and Iran have indicated that they are interested in a deal. After the initial shock, the group has reorganized and continues to carry out daily attacks on Israel, although not with the same intensity, and to confront invading Israeli soldiers.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem said the group had received the US proposal, clarified its concerns and was allowing talks to continue to see if they would yield any results. The conditions for an agreement, he said, were a complete cessation of hostilities and the preservation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, warning that Hezbollah was ready for a long fight.

Israel’s goal in its war against Hezbollah is to allow the return of some 60,000 residents driven from communities in northern Israel due to the group’s attacks.

According to Lebanese authorities, more than 3,670 people have been killed and at least 15,400 injured in Lebanon since October 2023, with more than a million forced to flee their homes.

Additional reporting by Dearbail Jordan and Jaroslav Lukiv in London