Israel launches most violent strikes on Beirut since start of war

Israel launched a series of strikes in Beirut on Wednesday, causing panic among residents in the most violent attack on the capital since the start of the war with Hezbollah.

The Israeli military said it carried out its “largest coordinated strike across Lebanon”.

Israel has insisted the two-week truce in its war with Iran does not apply to Lebanon.

Simultaneous strikes on the capital came without warning, prompting people on streets to start running and motorists to honk their horns in an effort to clear the way, according to AFP journalists.

“I saw the blast, it was very strong, and there were children killed, some with their hands cut off,” Yasser Abdallah, who works in an appliance store in central Beirut, told AFP.

One of the strikes hit Corniche al-Mazraa, one of the main roads in the capital.

An AFP photographer saw widespread damage, buildings ablaze and destroyed cars.

“A plane struck, and people started running left and right, and smoke was billowing” from the targeted building, said another witness, Ali Younes.

Israel also hit Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah holds sway, after issuing evacuation warnings for these areas, in parallel with strikes on the east.

Ambulances were heard in the targeted areas.