As Israel's latest ground operation against militant group Hezbollah reaches its third day six people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in Beirut overnight, Lebanon's Health Ministry confirmed on Thursday.
Since then, news agency AP has reported an Islamic health organization on Thursday claimed seven of its health and rescue workers were killed. According to reports the strike hit a multi-story building in the residential Bashoura district that also houses an office of the Health Society, a civilian first responder group affiliated with Hezbollah.
The attack comes as countries around the world scrambled to evacuate their citizens from the war-torn region.
Israel is pressing forward with a ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, while continuing airstrikes in Gaza that have killed dozens, including children.
The Israeli military reported that eight of its soldiers have been killed in the fighting along the southern Lebanese border.
On Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting to address the rapidly escalating conflict in the Middle East, with global leaders calling for restraint on both sides.
Iran's ambassador to the U.N. said that his country launched nearly 200 missiles at Israel on Tuesday as a response to Israeli actions. Israel's U.N. ambassador labeled the attack as an "unprecedented act of aggression."
On Wednesday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation, stating Iran "will pay," while Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed crowds in Tehran promising Iran would get "rid of the enemies' evil."
In Washington, President Joe Biden stated on Wednesday that he would not support any Israeli military action targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, however he confirmed the U.S. did provide support against the Iranian missile attack that targeted Israel from two naval destroyers in the region.
Hamas leader announced dead
The Israeli military announced on Thursday that it had killed a senior Hamas leader, Rawhi Mushtaha, during an airstrike in the Gaza Strip about three months ago. The strike, which targeted an underground compound in northern Gaza, also killed two other Hamas commanders, Sameh Siraj and Sameh Oudeh.
According to the military, the underground facility where the three were hiding served as a command and control center. Mushtaha was described as a close associate of Yahya Sinwar, the top leader of Hamas who played a key role in orchestrating the October 7 attack on Israel that set off the current conflict.
Sinwar is reportedly still alive and in hiding somewhere in Gaza, though his exact whereabouts remain unknown. Hamas has not yet issued a statement regarding the deaths of the three commanders.
IDF claims to have killed 15 Hezbollah fighters
The BBC is reporting Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stating that overnight its warplanes "precisely struck the Bint Jbeil municipality building in which Hezbollah terrorists were operating, alongside large quantities of Hezbollah weapons stored in the building."
"As part of the strike, approximately 15 Hezbollah terrorists were eliminated," the IDF says.
The IDF confirmed on Wednesday that over 150 Hezbollah targets have been destroyed.
Houthi drone attack
According to the U.K.'s Times newspaper the Iran-backed Yemeni group claimed responsibility for striking a "vital target" in the once predominantly Arab Tel Aviv suburb of Jaffa, using multiple drones.
"In continuation of the victory for the injustice of the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples and in support of the Palestinian and Lebanese resistances, the Yemeni Armed Forces' drone air force carried out a military operation targeting a vital target in the Jaffa (Tel Aviv) area in occupied Palestine," brigadier general Yahya Saree, spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces is reported to have said.
The IDF earlier reported that a drone was shot down by the Israeli Air Force over the sea off the coast of central Israel. Later, two additional drones were detected over the sea, according to the military. One was shot down, while the second drone landed in an open area. Sirens sounded in the coastal town of Bat Yam.
No injuries or damage were reported in the aftermath of the drone strikes.
Since the October 7, 2023, cross-border attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 hostages, Israel has been engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire with Hezbollah across the Lebanon border. Israel declared war on Hamas in response, launching large-scale military operations in Gaza. According to health officials, over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, with more than half being women and children.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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