At Least 3 Killed in Strike on Beirut’s Nweiri

An Israeli airstrike on a building in Beirut on Tuesday, which housed displaced people, killed at least three individuals and left 26 others injured. The strike targeted a four-story building in the densely populated Basta al-Fawqa area, located near the city’s downtown, without any prior warning. This was the second such strike in the area in recent days.

The attack, which hit the Nweiri region of Beirut, destroyed the building that had been sheltering displaced people, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Hezbollah lawmaker Amin Sherri condemned the attack, suggesting that Israel was targeting the Lebanese people, particularly the group’s supporters, as a form of retaliation before a potential ceasefire.

Shortly after this strike, a series of raids created what was described as a “belt of fire” around Beirut’s southern suburbs, with areas such as Burj al-Barajneh, Haret Hreik, and Hadath being heavily bombed. Smoke from these attacks spread across the southern suburbs, reaching into Beirut.

These strikes occurred alongside Israeli military warnings for evacuations in southern Beirut, where 20 buildings were targeted, and for the town of Naqoura, where the United Nations peacekeeping mission is based. The military’s warnings came after a morning of heavy bombardment in the area.

This escalation took place just hours before Israel’s security Cabinet was set to meet to discuss a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal, which aims to end over a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.