Several Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut overnight. The army had issued evacuation orders for five buildings in Dahiyeh south of the capital. The affected area in central Beirut was not covered by these warnings.
One of the strikes killed at least seven people in the city center, Lebanon’s health ministry said. The explosion sparked a fire in an apartment building in the residential area of Bachouranot far from the United Nations headquarters, the Prime Minister’s office and Parliament. A Hezbollah relief center was reportedly targeted.
Residents of Beirut reported a smell of sulfur in the city after the airstrike.
Lebanon’s national news agency then accused Israel of using internationally banned phosphorous bombs. Information that is impossible to verify at this time.
Multiple strikes were also reported in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
In South Lebanon, close combat
Meanwhile, the IDF ground incursion into southern Lebanon claimed its first casualties. Eight Israeli soldiers were killed in close combat with Hezbollah militants.
The Israel Defense Forces released footage showing troops on the ground.
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, Israeli attacks in the country killed 46 people and injured 85 on Wednesday alone.