Space Travel News
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Israel hits apartment block in first strike on heart of Beirut
Israel hits apartment block in first strike on heart of Beirut
by AFP Staff Writers
Beirut, Lebanon (AFP) Sept 30, 2024

Israel carried out an air strike on a Beirut apartment block on Monday, a Lebanese security source said, killing four people in its first such raid on the heart of the city since the outbreak of the Gaza war last year.

Israel has turned its focus from Gaza to Lebanon in recent days, carrying out attacks on Iran's regional allies. Strikes on Hezbollah targets killed the Iran-backed group's leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday.

Monday's drone attack targeted a "flat belonging to Jamaa Islamiya", a Lebanese Islamist group, the security source said.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a secular left-wing group, said three of its members were killed in Monday's strike on Beirut's Kola district.

The group said in a statement that its military security chief Mohammad Abdel-Aal, military commander Imad Odeh, and Abdelrahman Abdel-Aal were killed.

The Israeli military said it had launched fresh strikes on dozens of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon's Bekaa region on Monday.

Israel "will continue to attack powerfully, damage and degrade Hezbollah's military capabilities and infrastructure in Lebanon", the army said in a statement on Telegram.

- 'Largest displacement' -

Television footage showed the partially flattened floor of the building targeted by the strike, in the predominantly Sunni neighbourhood of Kola, near the road linking the capital to Beirut airport.

AFP journalists reported drones flying over the Lebanese capital throughout Sunday.

Israeli attacks have killed hundreds in Lebanon since last Monday, the deadliest day since the country's 1975-1990 civil war.

Lebanon's health ministry reported at least 105 people killed in Israeli strikes on Sunday, with 359 people wounded.

In the last week, Israeli bombardment has killed more than 700 people, including 14 paramedics over a two-day period, the ministry said.

UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said "well over 200,000 people are displaced inside Lebanon" and more than 50,000 have fled to neighbouring Syria.

Prime Minister Mikati said up to one million people may have been uprooted, in potentially the "largest displacement movement" in Lebanon's history.

- Yemen strikes -

Israeli aggression on Lebanon has sparked fears of an all-out war in the Middle East.

Israel said it also carried out strikes in Yemen on Sunday, targeting Iran-backed Huthi rebel positions.

Huthi media reports said those strikes killed four people and wounded 33.

The raids in Yemen came a day after the Huthis said they launched a missile at an Israeli airport, trying to hit it as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was returning from New York.

The Israeli military has said its operations in Lebanon aim to eliminate Hezbollah's leadership and capacity to attack Israel.

It said the air strike that killed Nasrallah on Friday also "eliminated" another 20 Hezbollah members, including senior leaders.

Israel also said another strike on Saturday killed Nabil Qaouq, a member of Hezbollah's central council.

Hezbollah has yet to officially announce his death, but a source close to the group said Qaouq had been killed.

Analysts told AFP Nasrallah's death leaves a bruised Hezbollah under pressure to respond.

- Calls for halt -

World leaders have called for a de-escalation to avoid a wider regional conflict.

French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot met with Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Lebanon on Sunday night -- the first high-level foreign diplomat to visit since the Israeli strikes intensified -- and said Paris sought "an immediate halt" to Israeli strikes.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry issued a statement early Monday, calling for Lebanon's "sovereignty and territorial integrity" to be respected.

US President Joe Biden -- whose government is Israel's top arms supplier -- said Sunday a wider war "really has to be avoided".

Pope Francis, asked about Israeli air strikes on civilians, said a country "goes beyond morality" when defence is not proportional to the attack.

In Gaza, the territory's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes Sunday killed several people.

Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity.

Of the 251 hostages seized by militants, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,595 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The UN has described the figures as reliable.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
A world of storm and tempest
When the Earth Quakes

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Florida island starts long clean-up after Hurricane Helene
Treasure Island (AFP) Sept 29, 2024
Michael Ward - who has lived on Treasure Island, off Florida's Gulf coast, for 33 years - decided to ride out Hurricane Helene despite an order to evacuate. It was a decision he quickly regretted. Instead of going with his wife to a friend's home inland, the 67-year-old Ward stayed put. As torrential rains led to flooding, he feared he would be electrocuted in his one-story home, but the storm surge prevented him from even opening his door. Ultimately, he climbed out of a window to escape. Wai ... read more

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Crew completes simulated Mars Mission at JSC

Martian rocks shed light on planet's ancient climate

A Striped Surprise

Organic molecules on Mars linked to atmospheric formaldehyde

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Unveiling charging and particle behavior of Chang'e-5 Lunar samples in electric field

Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet

Sentinel-2C satellite captures detailed lunar image during calibration

Robots prepare to handle cargo on Moon as part of Artemis program

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Technicians prep Europa Clipper for propellant loading

Volcanoes may help reveal interior heat on Jupiter moon

JunoCam identifies new volcanic feature on Io

Mystery of Trans-Neptunian Orbits Solved by Stellar Flyby

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
UTA physicists explore possibility of life beyond Earth

Exoplanet map reveals Neptunian Ridge separating planetary regions

This rocky planet around a white dwarf resembles Earth - 8 billion years from now

Astronomers catch a glimpse of a uniquely inflated and asymmetric exoplanet

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Vulcan rocket awaits Florida launch for certification test

Crew-9 Successfully Launched, Now En Route to ISS

China launches eight satellites using Smart Dragon 3 rocket

Leaf Space signs with Maritime Launch Services for Nova Scotia ground station

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Xi emphasizes China's drive to lead in space exploration

China launches Yaogan 43B remote-sensing satellites from Xichang

Shenzhou-18 Crew Tests Fire Alarms and Conducts Medical Procedures in Space

Astronauts on Tiangong Space Station Complete Fire Safety Drill

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
OSIRIS-REx, 1 year later

Hera mission to unlock the secrets of Dimorphos asteroid

Australian crater may provide new insights into Earth's geological past

Nuking a huge asteroid could save Earth, lab experiment suggests

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.