Israeli strikes hit Beirut hotel, residential complex in eastern Lebanon

Israeli strikes hit a Beirut hotel and residential complex in Lebanons east Lebanese state media said Wednesday as Israel announced broad strikes in response to Hezbollah missile and drone launchesLebanese state media said the Israeli attacks targeted a building in Baalbek in Lebanons east far from the border as well as a hotel in an area of Beirut so far spared from the violenceIn Aramoun and Saadiyat south of Beirut two towns outside the traditional strongholds of Iranbacked militant group Hezbollah the health ministry said Israeli strikes killed six people and wounded eight others It cautioned that this was a preliminary tollThe NNA said the strike on Aramoun hit a residential building An AFP correspondent in the area saw rescuers getting people outIt was not immediately clear what was targeted in these towns or in Baalbek where Lebanons staterun National News Agency NNA said five people were killed in a residential complexIt added that 15 people were wounded and three more were still missingResponding to the attack Baalbeks mayor said only civilians lived at the complex that hosts the buildingThere was no immediate comment from the Israeli military which earlier announced broadscale strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanons southWorld Health Organization chief Tedros Ghebreyesus said among those killed in Lebanon were three paramedics while another six people were wounded while recovering people who had been hurt by explosionsAir raid sirens meanwhile sounded in parts of Israels north along the borderSeveral projectiles that crossed from Lebanon were intercepted an Israeli military statement said reporting no casualtiesAlerts were earlier activated in the border town of Metula where Hezbollah said its fighters had targeted troops with a missile salvoHezbollah also said it had targeted northern Israels Haifa naval base on Tuesday in response to the ongoing Israeli strikes which began after an initial attack by Hezbollah in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during USIsraeli strikes on SaturdayEarly Wednesday the Israeli military called on people to leave 16 towns and villages in southern Lebanon in an urgent warning before using force against Hezbollah militantsIt later called on residents in a further 13 villages in Lebanons south to evacuateIsrael has carried out successive air raids on the south of the country as well as some suburbs of the capital Beirut where Hezbollah holds swayBut according to the NNA some of the attacks on Wednesday hit areas outside of Hezbollahs traditional strongholdsThe NNA said that an Israeli air strike targeted a hotel in Hazmieh in the first reported attack on the predominantly Christian area in Beiruts suburbsAmbulances were dispatched to the scene the report saidAn AFP correspondent in Hazmieh saw people stumble out of the hotel as rescuers rushed to check the sceneIsraeli strikes since Monday have killed at least 50 people in Lebanon according to the health ministryAggressionIsrael announced Tuesday morning it had begun a new round of simultaneous strikes in Tehran and BeirutIn an evening statement it said it had hit approximately 60 targets belonging to the Hezbollah and Hamas terrorist organisations as well as additional broadscale strikes targeting Hezbollah in southern LebanonHezbollah said it targeted the Haifa naval base with a barrage of highquality missiles at 800 pm local time 1800 GMTThe Israeli military said shortly after 800 pm that several incoming projectiles were detected and most were shot downSeeking to avoid being drawn into the regional war the Lebanese government declared a ban on Hezbollahs military activities on MondayIsrael said it had deployed troops to several locations in southern Lebanon in what it described as a forward defence measure along the borderHezbollah claimed responsibility for 13 attacks against Israel on Tuesday saying it targeted at least five Israeli tanks three of them in Lebanese territoryThese attacks came in response to the criminal Israeli aggression on dozens of Lebanese cities and towns Hezbollah saidLebanese authorities on Monday recorded the displacement of more than 58000 people from areas targeted by strikesHezbollahs AlManar TV broadcaster said its Beirut headquarters had been targetedA ceasefire agreement in November 2024 sought to end more than a year of war between Israel and Hezbollah including an Israeli ground offensiveDespite the ceasefire Israel has conducted regular air strikes on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon citing Hezbollahs refusal to disarmThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever