In the early hours of Thursday, an Israeli airstrike struck a medical centre operated by the Hezbollah-affiliated "Islamic Health Organisation" in central Beirut. This marked the second strike on central Beirut this week, with previous attacks largely confined to the southern suburbs of the city.
Witnesses reported hearing the sound of a missile followed by a large explosion. Video footage showed an apartment building on fire, while residents of nearby areas evacuated, fleeing on scooters and in cars.
Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon have killed numerous paramedics in recent weeks, including 14 emergency health workers over the weekend and six more on Monday in west Bekaa. Most of these health workers were affiliated with Hezbollah or other Islamic health organisations.
Despite their political affiliations, international human rights groups have stressed that targeting healthcare workers who are not involved in combat is a violation of international law.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the Beirut strike, stating it had conducted a "precise strike" in the city, including the Bashoura district, near significant landmarks like the UN headquarters and the Lebanese parliament.
Lebanon's health ministry reported 46 fatalities and 85 injuries in the past 24 hours due to Israeli airstrikes. Over the past two weeks, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, many of them women and children.
Meanwhile, Israeli military officials vowed retaliation after an Iranian missile attack. Israel’s military chief, Herzi Halevi, declared that Israel could strike anywhere in the Middle East and warned Iran would face consequences for its actions. This threat followed Iran’s launch of over 180 ballistic missiles, in response to Israel's largest ground incursion into southern Lebanon in decades.
U.S. President Joe Biden has indicated he would not support an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites, seeking to temper Israel’s response and prevent further regional escalation. Biden, alongside G7 leaders, condemned Iran’s missile attack on Israel, signaling potential new sanctions.
In Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces conducted intensive ground operations and airstrikes, killing more than 70 people, including women and children. Gaza’s health ministry reported that over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed, with nearly 100,000 injured since the war began following Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel.