DUBAI/TEL AVIV/BEIRUTE, March 18 (Reuters) – Israeli warplanes struck the center of Beirut in the early hours of Wednesday, destroying apartment buildings in what were among the most intense airstrikes in the center of the Lebanese capital in decades, a widening of the United States and Israel’s war against Iran.
One day after killing the powerful Iranian security chief, Ali Larijani, in the highest-level assassination since the death of the Supreme Leader on the first day of the war, Israel said it had killed another senior official, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.
Iran confirmed Larijani’s death and retaliated by firing multi‑warhead missiles at Israel that, according to Israeli authorities, killed two people near Tel Aviv.
Tehran said that the death of the authorities would not hinder its operations. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that the United States and Israel failed to understand that the Islamic Republic is a solid political system that does not depend on a single individual.
WORST ATTACKS ON BEIRUT’S CENTER IN DECADES
In the Bachoura district, in central Beirut, Israel warned residents to leave a building that, according to it, was used by Hezbollah and which was completely destroyed. A witness video, verified by Reuters, showed the structure crumbling to dust when struck at dawn. Later, firefighters climbed a vast pile of smoking rubble.
Abu Khalil, who lives in the area, said he helped people flee from nearby houses early in the morning after the Israeli warning.
“It’s just an operation to wound, terrorize people, terrorize children,” he told Reuters, insisting that there were no military targets nearby.
No similar warning was issued for the attacks that hit apartment buildings in two other central districts, killing at least 10 people, according to Lebanese authorities. Smoke rose from the balcony of a building as residents swept debris from the street, surrounded by destroyed cars.
Although Israel has been striking the southern suburbs of Beirut, controlled by Hezbollah, the latest attacks were among the worst to hit the central parts of the capital in decades.
Inside Israel, an Iranian missile opened a crater in the sidewalk and set cars ablaze in a residential area of Holon, south of Tel Aviv.
“There was an alarm, we went into the shelter and heard a crazy bang,” said resident Leah Palteal to Reuters. “When we were allowed to come out… We saw fire, came down the stairs and saw that everything here was exploding.”
Israel also launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon. On Wednesday, the country acknowledged that its troops had fired from a tank at a United Nations base, a week after the war began, wounding three Ghanaian peacekeepers, which, the country said, was a mistake.
INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS ACROSS THE REGION
Lebanese authorities say that 900 people have been killed in the country and 800,000 have been forced to flee their homes. The HRANA Iranian rights group, based in the United States, said on Monday that more than 3,000 people have died in Iran since Israeli and American attacks began in late February.
The Iranian attacks killed people in Iraq and Gulf countries. Fourteen people were killed in Israel.
Israel and the United States say the aim of the war is to prevent Iran from projecting power beyond its borders and to destroy its nuclear and missile programs.
They also urged Iranians to rise up and topple their clerical rulers, a few weeks after authorities killed thousands of protesters against the government. However, there was no sign of organized dissent inside Iran since the bombardments began.
