Israel strikes central Beirut – media

An apparent Israeli airstrike hit central Beirut on Monday morning for the first time since the 2006 war, according to reporters on the ground. A week-long bombing campaign in Lebanon has decapitated Hezbollah and sent hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing.

The strike in Kola district killed three leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), it has confirmed. The group is allied with the militant movement Hezbollah, Israel’s main target in the ongoing escalation, which rose to prominence by fighting back against the Israeli military almost two decades ago.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have yet to claim credit for the bombing, which hit the upper floor of a residential building according to Reuters and Associated Press (AP). Over a dozen people are injured, a source in Lebanese Civil Defense told AP on condition of anonymity, and has also killed a member of the al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, another minor militant group. Neither Hezbollah ally has played a significant role in the current conflict, the news agency said.

Low-intensity clashes between Hezbollah and the IDF have continued since October last year, when the Israeli military began a siege of Gaza in retaliation for a deadly incursion by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Hezbollah, a supporter of Hamas, has said it would keep launching rockets across Israel’s northern border until a ceasefire is reached in the Palestinian enclave.

Israel’s ramped up campaign in Lebanon started with a wave of explosions of pagers, walkie talkies and other devices, which Western media has called the result of an Israeli intelligence operation targeting Hezbollah communications. The attack, which Israel neither confirmed nor denied was its doing, was said to be preparation for a possible ground invasion.

The next week, the IDF significantly ramped up airstrikes, killing over 1,000 people and wounding some 6,000 according to local health officials. The escalation also triggered a mass exodus from the areas most affected by the fighting. The Israeli military also conducted a series of bombings against senior Hezbollah leaders, killing most of them, including the group’s chief Hassan Nasrallah.

Lebanese officials have estimated that around 250,000 people have gone to shelters, with three to four times as many staying with friends or relatives or camping out in the streets. Israel’s stated goal is to create conditions for some 60,000 of its citizens evacuated from northern Israel to return to their communities.