UPDATE - 5 killed, 18 injured in Israeli strike on central Beirut: Health Ministry

UPDATES WITH CASUALTIES, ADDS DETAILS

By Wassim Seifeddine

BEIRUT (AA) — At least five people were killed and 24 others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the Zuqaq al-Blat area in central Beirut, Lebanon's Health Ministry reported.

The attack marked the third Israeli bombing in Beirut’s heart within 24 hours, following strikes on the Ras Al Naba'a and Mar Elias neighborhoods.

A ministry statement confirmed the casualty count, noting that it included five fatalities and 24 injuries.

Earlier, Lebanon's official news agency reported that the airstrike on Zuqaq al-Blat had resulted in four deaths and 18 injured, though further details on the specific location of the attack, such as whether it targeted a home or another building, were not provided.

Zuqaq al-Blat is located just 500 meters from Lebanon’s government and parliament buildings.

On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes hit a building in the Ras Al Naba'a area of Beirut, followed by another targeting the Mar Elias district, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries.

Israel launched an air campaign in Lebanon against what it claims are targets of the Hezbollah group in late September, in an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare over Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

On Monday, the Health Ministry announced the final casualty figures from Israeli airstrikes targeting Beirut the previous day. The ministry reported that the strike on Ras Al Naba'a killed seven people, including a woman, while injuring 16 others.

The strike on Mar Elias resulted in four fatalities, including a woman, and 29 injuries, according to the ministry.

More than 3,500 people have been killed, nearly 15,000 injured and more than 1 million displaced by Israeli attacks since last October, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching a ground assault into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1 this year.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio