Israeli army begins new strikes on Beirut

Israeli army says its warplanes carried out several airstrikes on building in Bachoura area in central Beirut

The Israeli army said Thursday its air force has begun carrying out strikes on the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli warplanes carried out several airstrikes on a building in the Bachoura area in central Beirut shortly after residents were warned to evacuate the area. The agency said “enemy warplanes struck the threatened building in Bachoura,” with thick plumes of smoke rising over the neighborhood. The Israeli army had earlier warned residents in Bachoura to evacuate a building and nearby structures ahead of the strike. This is the first evacuation warning issued by the Israeli military to residents of Bachoura since the start of the current Israeli offensive on Lebanon on March 2, although the area had been targeted during Israel’s war on Lebanon in 2024. Lebanese media also reported that Israeli warplanes carried out two additional airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, according to the National News Agency. On March 2, Lebanese group Hezbollah began attacking Israeli military sites in response to repeated Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the killing of Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli strike. Israel retaliated by launching a military campaign on Lebanon, carrying out airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and areas in the south and east of the country, and on March 3 began a limited ground incursion in southern Lebanon.