Israeli strikes north Beirut suburb, south Lebanon

An Israeli strike hit an apartment building in a northern Beirut suburb that had been targeted a day earlier, Lebanese state media said on Saturday, also reporting strikes in the country’s south. An overnight Israeli strike killed a dozen medical staff at a clinic in south Lebanon, health authorities said earlier Saturday, after Iran-backed Hezbollah’s leader Naim Qassem said his group was ready for a long confrontation with Israel. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when the militant group attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.

The state-run National News Agency said “an Israeli strike targeted the Nabaa-Burj Hammoud area for a second day.” The same building had been struck on Friday without causing casualties. Burj Hammoud is a densely populated, mixed area known for its large Armenian-Lebanese community. Levon Ghazalian, 42, who lives in the building next door, said “it’s the first time this happens” in the area, which was spared in the previous conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2024.

“All the neighbours are afraid,” he told AFP, staring at the scene with his daughter. Hanadi Hachem, 50, who was in her pyjamas, said “there’s no safety anymore… you never know where a strike will come from”. She said she and some family members were sleeping in their car out of fear.