An Israeli air strike hit the Bachoura neighborhood, in the center of Beirut, this Wednesday (18), according to a Reuters witness. A loud explosion was heard in Lebanon’s capital after the Israeli military warned residents to evacuate a building.
The offensive was part of a broader wave of Israeli attacks on Lebanon on Wednesday, including raids in other parts of Beirut as well as areas in the south and east of the country, signaling an intensification of Israel’s campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah.
On Wednesday, others killed at least six people and injured 24 others, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said. In southern and eastern Lebanon, at least 14 people were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes, according to the state news agency, citing the Health Ministry.
The Israeli army said on Wednesday it had begun attacking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
The latest attacks have further intensified Lebanon’s Middle East war, after Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2, claiming the aim was to avenge the death of Iran’s supreme leader. Israel responded with an offensive into Lebanon and forced more than 800,000 people into Lebanon.
What is happening in the Middle East?
The United States and Israel are at war with Iran. The conflict began on February 28, when a coordinated attack between the two countries killed the country’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in Tehran.
Several high-ranking officials of the Iranian regime were also killed. Furthermore, the US claims to have destroyed dozens of the country’s ships, as well as air defense systems, planes and other military targets.
In retaliation, the ayatollah regime carried out attacks against several countries in the region, such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq and Oman. Iranian officials say they are targeting only U.S. and Israeli interests in those nations.
More than 1,200 civilians have died in Iran since the start of the war, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. The White House, in turn, registered at least seven deaths of American soldiers in direct relation to the Iranian attacks.
The conflict also expanded into Lebanon. Hezbollah, an armed group supported by Iran, attacked Israeli territory in retaliation for the death of Ali Khamenei. As a result, Israel has carried out aerial offensives against what it says are Hezbollah targets in the neighboring country. Hundreds of people have died on Lebanese territory since then.
With the death of much of its leadership, an Iranian council elected a new supreme leader: Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ali Khamenei. Experts point out that he will not make structural changes and represents continuity of repression.
Donald Trump showed dissatisfaction with this choice, calling it a “big mistake”. He had said that he would need to be involved in the process and said that Mojtaba would be “unacceptable” to Iran’s leadership.
