Israeli airstrikes kill at least 20 in Beirut as diplomats push for cease-fire
Diplomats scrambled to broker a ceasefire after an Israeli airstrike killed at least 20 people and injured dozens more in central Beirut on Saturday. Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s health ministry said the death toll in the country’s capital was likely to rise as emergency workers dug through the rubble in search of survivors. DNA testing was being used to identify the victims, the statement said, adding that 66 people were injured.
Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu Photo: Getty Images
The pre-dawn attack destroyed an eight-story building and left a crater in the ground, the fourth attack in Beirut in less than a week. Hezbollah lawmaker Amin Shiri said Hezbollah officials were not present. The attack destroyed the facades of some nearby buildings and damaged cars.
“The area is a residential area with dense buildings and narrow streets, and the situation is serious,” said Walid Al-Hashash, an emergency worker with Lebanon’s civil defense department.
Upgrade happens after U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein travels to region This week, attempts were made to broker a ceasefire to end more than 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Hochstein said on Tuesday that he had “very constructive talks” with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri. Nabih Berri is an ally of Hezbollah and mediates on behalf of the group.
“Today in particular, we continue to close the gap significantly,” the envoy told reporters after the two-hour meeting. “Ultimately it will be up to all parties to make a decision to end this conflict … and it is now within our grasp.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, on Saturday to discuss ongoing operations and reiterate the U.S.’s “strong commitment to Israel’s security.”
Austin also reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to a diplomatic solution in Lebanon that “allows for the safe return of Israeli and Lebanese civilians to their homes on both sides of the border,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
Two Western diplomats on Saturday described points of contention between Israel and Lebanon in cease-fire talks. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the talks.
The current proposal calls for a two-month ceasefire, during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence on the southern border south of the Litani River. Thousands of Lebanese troops will patrol border areas along with U.N. peacekeepers, and an international commission will oversee implementation of the deal.
Officials say Israel wants more assurances that Hezbollah weapons will be removed from border areas. Israeli officials have said they would not have agreed if they believed Hezbollah was violating an agreement that did not explicitly give them freedom to carry out attacks in Lebanon.
Lebanese officials said including the term would violate the country’s sovereignty. Hezbollah leader Naeem Qasim said this week that the militant group would not agree to a deal that did not provide a “complete and comprehensive end to the aggression.”
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, Israeli bombing has killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon and injured more than 15,000. The fighting has displaced about 1.2 million people, accounting for a quarter of Lebanon’s population. On the Israeli side, about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians were killed by rockets, drones and missiles during fighting in northern Israel and Lebanon.
The Israeli military issued no warning to residents before the attack in central Beirut and did not comment on the casualties. On Saturday, the group warned residents of parts of Beirut’s southern suburbs who live near Hezbollah facilities that the military would target them in the near future. Warnings posted on X asked people to evacuate at least 500 meters (yards) away.
The military said it carried out intelligence-based strikes over the past day on Hezbollah targets in Dahiya, a suburb south of Beirut, where the group has a strong presence. The attack allegedly hit multiple command centers and weapons storage facilities.
