3 killed in Israeli airstrike on residential building in Beirut

BEIRUT, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) — Three people of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a residential building in the al Cola area in Beirut, al-Jadeed local TV channel reported.
This marked Israel’s first attack on the capital since the outbreak of the Hezbollah-Israel conflict on Oct. 8, 2023. Previously attacks concentrated on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The densely populated al Cola area has seen an influx of displaced people fleeing Israeli airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon. Following the attack, ambulances arrived to transport the wounded, while civil defense teams worked to evacuate residents from the building. The Lebanese army was also deployed to the scene.
Tensions between Hezbollah and Israel have escalated after Israel expanded its military operations to Lebanon, aiming to allow Israeli settlers to return to northern Israel. Hezbollah has announced its entry into a new phase of the conflict, pledging continued support for Gaza.
Since Oct. 8, 2023, Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged fire along the Lebanese-Israeli border, raising fears of a wider regional conflict. ■