Three killed in Israeli airstrike on residential building in Beirut

Beirut, Sep 30 (IANS) 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.

This marked Israel's first attack on the capital since the outbreak of the Hezbollah-Israel conflict on October 8, 2023. Previously attacks concentrated on Beirut's southern suburbs, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the al-Jadeed local TV channel.

The densely populated al Cola area has seen an influx of displaced people fleeing Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. Following the attack, ambulances arrived to transport the wounded, while civil defence 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 Israel. Hezbollah has announced its entry into a new phase of the conflict, pledging continued support for Gaza.

Since October 8, 2023, Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged fire along the Lebanese-Israeli border, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.