Six people killed in new Israeli ‘targeted bombing’ of Lebanese capital Beirut

At least six people were killed on Tuesday in a new “targeted bombing” carried out by the Israeli army against the Lebanese capital, Beirut, as part of its intense wave of air strikes since Monday, which to date have left more than 550 dead and more than 1,800 wounded.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health said in a brief statement on its Facebook account that the attack, which hit the Ghobeiri neighborhood –located in southern Beirut and with a Shiite majority– also left 15 wounded, which is the first official report by the authorities since the bombing.

Earlier, the Israeli army had said that “the Israeli Armed Forces (IDF) have carried out a targeted bombing in Beirut,” a day after another attack in the capital and after the bombing carried out on Friday also in the city, which left more than 50 dead.

The Israeli army has not yet said who the target of this new attack would be. However, sources cited by the Israeli public broadcaster Kan have highlighted that it would be the head of Hezbollah’s missile unit, Ibrahim Mohamad Kobeisi.

The attack comes a day after another bombing in Beirut reportedly targeted Ali Karaki, who was listed as one of the few senior military officials still alive, according to an IDF organizational chart released last week.

In fact, Friday’s attack resulted in the death of Ibrahim Akil, a senior member of the Lebanese group, who is believed to have died along with other commanders of Hezbollah’s special forces.

OPERATIONS AGAINST THE HEZBOLLAH “THREAT”

The Israeli army has also said that over the past 24 hours it has launched “some 2,000 munitions” against “around 1,500 terrorist infrastructures” in Lebanon, as part of its operations “to eliminate the threat posed by Hezbollah’s capabilities.” “Fighter aircraft continue to operate and attack at this time,” it said.

In fact, the head of the Israeli army, Herzi Halevi, has assured that “there must be no respite” for the party-militia and has announced that the Israeli forces “will accelerate offensive operations” against Lebanon. “The situation requires continued intensive action on all fronts,” he concluded.

Hezbollah has responded to these attacks by firing dozens of rockets at Israeli military positions and a “munitions factory.” The army has estimated that around 100 rockets have been fired from southern Lebanon in the past few hours, with no reports of casualties or material damage so far.

Tensions have risen in recent days, particularly following last week’s wave of coordinated explosions targeting communications devices allegedly used by Hezbollah, which left around 40 dead and 3,000 injured, incidents criticised by the international community for their indiscriminate nature.

Hostilities in the region erupted after Hamas and other Palestinian factions launched a series of attacks on Israel on October 7, leaving nearly 1,200 people dead and more than 250 hostages. The Israeli army then launched a bloody military campaign against Gaza that has so far left more than 41,400 dead, in addition to more than 700 Palestinians killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The October 7 attacks, dubbed the “Al-Aqsa Flood” by Hamas and its allies, also led to the opening of a front on the border between Israel and Lebanon, with constant fighting for more than eleven months. In addition, the Houthis and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq have launched missiles and drones against Israel – which has carried out bombings against territory in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen – in response to its offensive against Gaza.