Lebanese authorities reported that two Israeli airstrikes on central Beirut on Sunday claimed six lives, including Mohammed Afif, Hezbollah’s media relations chief. These strikes mark a rare escalation in the conflict, as attacks have primarily targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah, since the outbreak of war on September 23.
The first strike hit Ras al-Nabaa, killing four people, including Afif, and injuring 14 others, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Israel’s military confirmed Afif’s death, describing him as Hezbollah’s “chief propagandist,” while Hezbollah hailed him as a “martyr on the road to Jerusalem.”
The second strike occurred in the densely populated Mar Elias district, killing two people and wounding 22. Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that the strike targeted an area housing people displaced by the conflict.
Eyewitnesses described the devastation. Lina, a 59-year-old resident of Mar Elias, said, “It’s a residential area… Nowhere in the country is safe anymore.”
While the NNA claimed the strike targeted a Jamaa Islamiya center—a Sunni Muslim group allied with Hamas and Hezbollah—a Jamaa Islamiya lawmaker denied any group presence or casualties at the site.
Regional Toll and Escalation
The strikes on Beirut coincided with intensified Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon. The health ministry reported 11 killed and 48 injured in the southern city of Tyr on Sunday. Israel’s military stated it had struck over 200 targets across Lebanon since Saturday morning.
In response to the escalating violence, Lebanon’s Education Minister Abbas Halabi announced the closure of schools and higher education institutions in the Beirut area for two days.
As airstrikes continue to ravage Beirut and southern Lebanon, the situation underscores the deepening humanitarian crisis and the growing toll on civilians amid the ongoing conflict.
