Lebanon says 18 killed in Israeli strike near southern Beirut hospital

At slightest 18 people, including 4 children, person been killed successful an Israeli aerial onslaught adjacent Lebanon’s largest nationalist infirmary successful confederate Beirut, according to nan Lebanese wellness ministry.

Another 60 group were injured erstwhile astatine slightest 3 buildings astir 50m (160ft) from Rafik Hariri University infirmary were destroyed successful nan Jnah neighbourhood connected Monday night.

The wellness ministry said nan onslaught - 1 of astatine slightest 13 reported crossed nan superior - caused “significant damage” to nan hospital.

The Israeli subject said it deed a "Hezbollah violent target" adjacent nan hospital, without giving details, and insisted that nan infirmary was not targeted aliases its cognition affected.

It besides accused Hezbollah of systematically embedding its assets among nan civilian organization - an allegation nan equipped group has antecedently denied.

The subject had warned group to move distant from respective locations successful confederate Beirut astir 15 minutes earlier nan strike, but nan area astir infirmary was not among them.

A BBC shaper who was adjacent to nan infirmary astatine nan clip said a large bang sent group moving for cover. Paramedics and firefighters recovered locals successful distress astatine nan scene.

On Tuesday morning, rescuers searched nan piles of surgery actual and twisted metal, immoderate carrying shovels, others only pinch their bare hands, astatine nan tract of nan strike.

The location deed was an impoverished and densely populated neighbourhood. At slightest 3 multi-storey buildings collapsed and respective others were heavy damaged.

One of nan rescuers said they did not cognize really galore group could beryllium nether nan rubble.

A BBC squad saw 1 assemblage being recovered, while different had been located arsenic they left.

One resident said nan onslaught happened aft a car arrived successful nan area, but added that they could not opportunity who mightiness person been travelling inside.

Videos from elsewhere successful confederate Beirut, wherever nan Israeli subject warned that it was going to target 7 locations successful advance, showed locals fleeing successful vehicles and connected ft arsenic nan strikes took place.

One location identified arsenic a target by nan Israeli service was astir 400m from Beirut airport, Lebanon’s only functioning commercialized airport. Local media shared images of windows blown successful by nan blast.

The Israeli subject said craft had struck “Hezbollah weapons retention facilities, bid centres, and further panic targets successful Beirut”.

“Some of nan targets were located underground and included aerial and naval instrumentality utilized by Hezbollah to transportation retired panic attacks,” it added, without identifying nan locations.

Separately, the Israeli subject said it had identified a Hezbollah bunker concealed nether Sahel infirmary successful Haret Hreik, which was later evacuated.

Military spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said, without providing evidence, that nan bunker held hundreds of millions of dollars successful rate and golden that was being utilized to money Hezbollah's attacks connected Israel. He besides said Israel would not onslaught nan infirmary itself.

Doctors denied nan Israeli allegation and took nan BBC done nan building connected Tuesday, including to nan first and 2nd level beneath ground. They insisted location was thing underneath.

“We are an institution helping people,” said Dr Walid Alameh, nan hospital’s aesculapian director. “[The hospital] is private. It utilized to beryllium and will remain. Hopefully, [the Israelis] will judge us. What we are doing is helping people.”

Israel appears to person expanded its warfare against Hezbollah beyond subject infrastructure. On Sunday, nan Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they would target nan group's financial networks.

On Sunday nighttime Israel carried retired aerial strikes targeting branches of a financial relation linked pinch Hezbollah successful nan confederate suburbs of Lebanon’s superior Beirut, arsenic good arsenic nan southbound and eastbound of nan country.

The Israeli subject said it targeted money held by Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association (AQAH), which offers financial services to civilians successful areas wherever Hezbollah has beardown support. Israel and nan US impeach AQAH of being a screen for nan Iran-backed group to money its activities.

Hezbollah spokesperson Mohammed Afif told reporters connected Tuesday that AQAH "had anticipated specified an aggression," adding that nan organisation would fulfil its obligations towards depositors.

Also connected Monday, US President Joe Biden’s typical envoy to nan Middle East arrived successful Beirut to research nan anticipation of a negotiated extremity to nan war.

Amos Hochstein said nan US wanted to spot an extremity to nan warfare successful Lebanon "as soon arsenic possible".

He warned it was not successful Lebanon’s liking to person its early tied to different conflicts successful nan region, a reference to Hezbollah’s adjacent ties to Iran and its determination to support Hamas successful nan Gaza war.

He besides said nan aged “status quo” was not sustainable and called for a “comprehensive agreement” that implemented UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

The resolution, which ended nan past warfare betwixt Israel and Hezbollah successful 2006, called for confederate Lebanon to beryllium free of immoderate equipped unit aliases weapons different than those of nan Lebanese authorities and a UN peacekeeping force.

Israel has agelong complained that this look grounded to forestall Hezbollah from building a formidable subject beingness successful confederate Lebanon and firing rockets complete nan border.

As Mr Hochstein spoke, Hezbollah fired much rockets into bluish Israel, pinch nan Israeli subject reporting that 170 projectiles had crossed nan separator by precocious Monday.

Another 80 projectiles were fired into Israel connected Tuesday, according to nan military. Four group were injured successful nan Neot Mordechai area.

Israel began an aggravated aerial run and crushed penetration against Hezbollah aft almost a twelvemonth of cross-border fighting sparked by nan warfare successful Gaza, saying it wanted to guarantee nan safe return of tens of thousands of residents of Israeli separator areas displaced by rocket attacks.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into bluish Israel successful support of Palestinians connected 8 October 2023, nan time aft its state Hamas’s deadly onslaught connected Israel.

More than 2,400 group person been killed successful Lebanon since then, including 1,800 successful nan past 5 weeks, according to nan country’s wellness ministry. Israeli authorities opportunity 59 group person been killed successful bluish Israel and nan occupied Golan Heights.