‘Are we not humans?’: Anger in Beirut as massive Israeli strike kills 15

A massive Israeli air strike on central Beirut has killed at least 15 people, Lebanese officials say, destroying an eight-storey building in the latest attack on the capital city.

Explosions shook the city following the strike on the densely populated Basta district, which happened without warning at about 04:00 (02:00 GMT) on Saturday.

Lebanon’s National News Agency said Saturday’s attack included a bunker buster bomb, a type of weapon previously used by Israel to kill senior Hezbollah figures, including then-leader Hassan Nasrallah.

This could indicate that a high-level official was the possible target, but there has been no immediate comment from either the Israeli military or Hezbollah.

All morning, emergency workers used heavy machinery to remove the rubble and retrieve bodies.

The Lebanese health ministry said more than 60 people had been wounded, and that the number of victims was expected to rise as DNA tests would be carried out on body parts that had been recovered.

“It was a very horrible explosion. All the windows and glasses were over me, my wife and my children. My home now is a battlefield,” said 55-year-old Ali Nassar, who lived in a nearby building.

“One person is hiding here… Should you destroy three buildings where people are sleeping inside? Is it necessary to kill all the people for one person? Or we’re not humans? That’s what I’m asking.”

Also on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out further air strikes on the Dahieh, the area in southern Beirut where Hezbollah is based, saying they were buildings linked to the group.

Israeli attacks have also hit the south, where an Israeli ground invasion is advancing, and the eastern Bekaa Valley, two areas where Hezbollah has strong presence.

In the past two weeks, Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia and political movement, amid international efforts for a ceasefire, in what appears to be a strategy to pressure the group to accept a deal.

The escalation comes as renewed negotiations to end more than one year of conflict showed initial signs of progress. This week, Amos Hochstein, who has led the Biden administration’s diplomatic efforts, held talks in Lebanon and Israel to try to advance a US drafted deal.

Since the conflict intensified in late September, Lebanese authorities have said any deal should be limited to the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

The resolution includes the withdrawal of Hezbollah’s fighters and weapons in areas between the Blue Line – the unofficial frontier between Lebanon and Israel – and the Litani river, about 30km (20 miles) from the boundary with Israel.

Israel says that was never fully respected, while Lebanon says Israeli violations included military flights over Lebanese territory.

The proposal being discussed, according to a Western diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity, includes a 60-day ceasefire which would see the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the removal of Hezbollah’s presence from the area. The Lebanese military would then boost its presence there, with thousands of extra troops.

But disagreements over some elements remained, the diplomat added, including about the timeline for an Israeli pull-out and the formation of an international mechanism to monitor the agreement.

Hezbollah, and its main supporter Iran, have both indicated being interested in a deal, according to a senior Lebanese source. After the initial shock, the group has reorganised itself, and it continues to carry out daily attacks on Israel, although not with the same intensity, and confront invading Israeli soldiers in Lebanon’s south.

On Thursday, Hezbollah’s Secretary General Naim Qassem said the group had received the US proposal, clarified its reservations, and that it was allowing the talks to go ahead to see if they produced any results. He said that the conditions for a deal were a complete cessation of hostilities and the preservation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Hezbollah was ready for a long fight, he added.

Israel’s stated goal in its war against Hezbollah is to allow the return of about 60,000 residents who have been displaced from communities in northern Israel because of the group’s attacks.

In Lebanon, the conflict has killed more than 3,500 people and forced more than one million from their homes, Lebanese authorities say.

Additional reporting by Dearbail Jordan and Jaroslav Lukiv in London.