Lebanon said four people, including a child, were killed on Monday in Israeli air strikes near the country’s largest public hospital near south Beirut, with state media reporting more than a dozen raids.
“An Israeli enemy attack near Hariri Hospital initially killed four people, including a child, and injured 24,” the Health Ministry said, adding that it caused “significant damage to the hospital.” Is.
In a separate statement, the ministry said the strike affected the entrance to the hospital, “which is still functioning and receives a large number of patients”.
This refuted Israeli military claims that Hezbollah had stashed half a billion dollars beneath Sahel Hospital in south Beirut.
Lebanon’s national news agency reported at least three Israeli attacks on the Ouzai district of south Beirut.
While most of the districts in Beirut’s southern suburbs had been empty for almost a month, the densely populated residential area of ​​Aoujai was still full of people because it had never been targeted before.
– ‘There is no chance of escape’ –
The NNA reported more than a dozen attacks on various southern Beirut districts, including Haret Harik, just south of Aoujai, and Hadath.
Rescuers linked to Hezbollah told AFP they were searching for survivors amid the destruction in Oujjai, adding that the evacuation order and then the strike caused “panic among residents” and they “started running into the streets”.
“They left no room for people to escape. After the warning, the attack came closer,” said one.
The country’s national airline had to replace landing strips after Israeli attacks near the main runway at Beirut’s only international airport, a Lebanese security official told AFP.
“Middle East Airlines changed the runway it was using because the main runway is close to the Ouzai strike site,” said the official, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
AFPTV footage showed plumes of smoke rising from Beirut’s southern suburbs, with AFP correspondents also hearing several loud bangs before the attacks.
The footage also shows two attacks that caused massive fires, sending orange flames with black smoke all around.
Just before the attacks, the Israeli military had called on residents to leave parts of southern Beirut in its latest appeal.
Military spokesman Avichai Adrai posted new calls on social media indicating the evacuation of several locations, including the area close to Beirut airport.
“You are located near Hezbollah-linked facilities and interests against which the IDF will operate in the near future,” he wrote.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
