A Palestinian militant group announced that three of its leaders were killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut, marking the first attack within the city limits as Israel intensifies its military actions against Iran’s allies in the region.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine stated that the three leaders were killed in a strike targeting the Kola area in Beirut.
Witnesses reported to Reuters that the Israeli strike hit the upper floor of a residential building in the Kola area of the Lebanese capital. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the strike.
The escalating pace of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi militias in Yemen has raised concerns about the potential for the conflict in the Middle East to spiral out of control, drawing in Iran and the United States.
On Sunday, Israel launched airstrikes on Houthi militias in Yemen and dozens of Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon, following the earlier killing of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
The Houthi-controlled Health Ministry reported that at least four people were killed and 29 others injured in airstrikes on the Hodeidah port in Yemen. Israel stated that the strikes were in response to rocket attacks launched by the militias.
In Lebanon, authorities reported that at least 105 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Sunday.
The Lebanese Health Ministry stated that over a thousand Lebanese have been killed and 6,000 injured in the past two weeks, though it did not specify how many were civilians.
The government reported that one million people, approximately one-fifth of the population, have fled their homes.
The intense bombardment over the past two weeks has resulted in the deaths of several senior Hezbollah leaders, including the party’s Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel has vowed to continue the offensive, stating its intent to secure its northern regions once again for residents who were forced to flee due to Hezbollah’s rocket attacks.
Israeli drones were seen flying over Beirut for most of Sunday, as the echoes of new airstrikes resonated throughout the Lebanese capital.
Displaced families spent the night on benches in the Zaitunay Bay area, which features several upscale restaurants and cafes overlooking the sea in Beirut.
Israel has conducted multiple attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah, allied with Iran, conducts most of its operations.
Monday’s attack in the Kola area appears to be the first within the city limits of Beirut, with residents reporting that Syrians living in southern Lebanon who fled the Israeli bombing were sleeping under a bridge in the area for days.
The United States has urged a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in Lebanon but has also directed its military to bolster its presence in the region.
In response to whether a full-scale war in the Middle East can be avoided, U.S. President Joe Biden said, “It must be,” adding that he would speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
