An Israeli airstrike hit the Bashura neighborhood in central Beirut, a Reuters witness said, adding that a loud explosion was heard in the area after Israeli troops warned residents of a building to evacuate, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
The attack was part of a wider series of Israeli strikes on Lebanon early this morning, including attacks on other parts of the Lebanese capital, as well as the south and east of the country, signaling an intensification of Israel's campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
Other Israeli strikes in Beirut this morning killed at least six people and wounded 24, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. At least 14 people were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, Lebanon's state news agency reported, citing the health ministry.
The Israeli military said it had begun striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
The new strikes drag Lebanon deeper into the Middle East war after Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2, saying it was seeking revenge for the assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Reuters reported. Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 800 people in Lebanon and forced more than 800,000 to flee their homes.