At least nine people have been killed and eight wounded in an Israeli air strike on a building in central Beirut, Lebanese officials have said.
Lebanon's health ministry has just provided an updated death toll on the overnight air strike in central Beirut.
Nine people were killed and 14 injured, the health ministry says.
A number of those killed are rescue officers and paramedics, according to Beirut's civil defence.
Our correspondent in Beirut says the target was a residential building containing a medical centre that is believed to be affiliated with Hezbollah.
The multi-storey block in Bachoura housed a Hezbollah-affiliated health centre, which Israel's military said was hit in a "precision" attack.
This is the first Israeli strike close to Beirut's centre - just metres away from Lebanon's parliament. There were five other air strikes overnight against targets in the southern suburb of Dahieh.
It comes after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said eight soldiers had been killed in combat in southern Lebanon, its first losses since the start of ground operations against the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.
US President Joe Biden said Israel “has a right to respond. It should be a proportional response.” While he said he did not support an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites, he noted the US would discuss with the Israelis how they might respond to Iran’s missile attack.
An Israeli strike in central Beirut killed at least six people early on Thursday. It’s the first time Israel has struck the area since 2006.
The airstrike hit a building that housed the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Authority, a resident of the neighborhood told CNN. The authority had an office on one floor of the building.
While Israel insists the “limited” and “localized” ground operation it launched in Lebanon does not amount to a major incursion, the situation on the ground suggests otherwise. Israel is sending more troops into southern Lebanon. The size of Israeli military units is classified, but the military said it was sending one division, which typically consists of at least 10,000 troops.
Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters have been fighting on the ground in southern Lebanon, both have confirmed. Israel announced the deaths of eight Israeli soldiers killed in combat in Lebanon on Wednesday.
A quarter of Lebanese territory is now under Israeli military evacuation orders. Some residents have been pushed more than 30 miles north of their homes.
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told CNN that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to a 21-day ceasefire just days before he was assassinated by Israel.
Israeli strikes in recent weeks have destroyed about 50% of Hezbollah’s arsenal, a formidable collection of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as rockets, according to senior US and Israeli officials.
Several countries are ramping up efforts to evacuate their nationals from Lebanon and urging those remaining to leave amid the escalating situation as Israel wages a ground offensive in the south of the country.
While no country has launched a large-scale military evacuation yet, some governments have organized charter flights and others have helped secure seats on commercial flights out of Lebanon, with many looking to Cyprus and Turkey as transit points.
Here’s a look at what some countries have done:
United States: Dozens of US troops have been deployed to Cyprus in preparation for a range of contingencies including evacuating US citizens from Lebanon should a full-blown war erupt, US officials told CNN. Since August, the US has urged its nationals to leave Lebanon immediately.
United Kingdom: In preparation for a possible evacuation of UK nationals from Lebanon, about 700 extra troops have been deployed to Cyprus, where the British military already has several hundred military personnel stationed at two bases. It also has two warships in the region and organized a charter flight from Lebanon’s capital Beirut Wednesday for nationals and their dependents.
France: A French army spokesperson said Tuesday a helicopter carrier will arrive in the eastern Mediterranean in case Paris decides to evacuate its nationals from Lebanon, Reuters reported. Its contingency plans center on Cyprus and Beirut airport, while it is also discussing evacuations via Turkey, the news agency said.
Australia: An additional 500 seats have been secured for Australians, permanent residents and their family members on commercial flights departing Saturday for Cyprus, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Thursday, after seats on several flights were organized earlier this week. An Australian Defence Force aircraft has been positioned in Cyprus to aid with contingency arrangements.
China: More than 200 Chinese nationals have been evacuated from Lebanon, including about 80 people on a ship that arrived in Cyprus on Tuesday, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. More than 140 Chinese citizens and their families were on a chartered flight that arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, Xinhua added.
Canada: Ottawa announced earlier this week it had secured an additional 800 seats on commercial flights leaving Lebanon for Canadians and their families. The country’s global affairs minister told CNN affiliate CBC News that if an evacuation becomes necessary, Canada has agreements with Cyprus, Greece and Turkey, and is working with the US, Australia and France to “make sure we adapt our evacuation plans together.”
Spain, the Netherlands, South Korea and several other countries are deploying military aircraft to Lebanon to bring home their nationals.
