Israeli Airstrikes Kill 26 in Lebanon, Flatten 12 Hezbollah Command Centers in Escalating Conflict
BEIRUT – In a series of devastating airstrikes, Israel has upped the ante in its military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, killing 26 people, including 13 children, and targeting critical Hezbollah command centers. The airstrikes, which have rocked the capital Beirut and surrounding regions, come amid ongoing efforts to establish a ceasefire.
The fiercest attack seemed to have been on Beirut's Basta area, where a multi-story residential building was flattened by an airstrike, killing 29 and trapping dozens under the rubble. Lebanese Ministry of Health officials updated the death toll late Sunday, saying rescue work is still under way.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces, 12 Hezbollah command centers were said to have been leveled in the Dahieh suburbs of Beirut. These command centers housed operations for Hezbollah's Intelligence Unit, its coast-to-sea missile unit, and Unit 4400, which oversees arms smuggling from Iran via Syria into Lebanon. The IDF declared these sites pivotal in planning and executing terrorist operations against Israel.
The campaign extends beyond Beirut. Strikes in the eastern Baalbek-Hermel region killed 13 people, including four children, in Shmistar, with dozens injured in surrounding towns. In southern Lebanon, Tyre was under heavy bombardment, resulting in five deaths and 19 injuries.
Lebanon's health officials announced more than 3,000 deaths and over a million displaced since the conflict intensified in September. Despite Israeli calls for civilians to leave, heavy air bomb strikes on residential areas have resulted in significant destruction and civilian casualties.
