Israel conducts airstrike in Beirut’s Kola neighborhood, escalating tensions
A general view of the buildings damaged in an Israeli strike, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Kola, central Beirut, Lebanon September 30, 2024. (Reuters Photo)
The Israeli army carried out an airstrike on a building in the Kola neighborhood of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut on Sunday, September 29.
The strike targeted an apartment in a multi-story building.
It is the first strike within Beirut’s city limits since the beginning of Israel’s offensive in Lebanon.
This attack also marks the first Israeli airstrike since 2006 that targets an area outside Hezbollah’s stronghold in the Dahiya neighborhood.
Local media reports suggest that a member of the Jamaat Islami may have been the target.
Since Saturday, Israeli airstrikes have intensified to levels not seen since the 2006 Lebanon War. Beirut’s southern suburb and several towns in southern Lebanon have been repeatedly bombarded.
The toll from this latest wave of attacks, described as the “most violent and widespread” since clashes with Hezbollah began nearly a year ago, has risen to 816 dead and 2,507 injured, according to Lebanese government data. The casualties include many women and children.
Lebanese and Palestinian factions, most notably Hezbollah, have been exchanging fire daily with Israeli forces across the Blue Line since Oct. 8, 2023.
As of Saturday, the ongoing exchanges have claimed the lives of 1,673 people, including 104 children and 194 women, with 8,603 others injured, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
On Saturday, the Israeli army announced the “successful” assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburb the previous evening. Hezbollah confirmed Nasrallah’s death.
The international community has expressed concern over Israel’s actions in Lebanon, warning that the strikes could escalate the ongoing Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.
