Israel hits central Beirut as WHO says hospitals overwhelmed

The Lebanese army said one of its soldiers has been killed in an Israeli strike during a rescue operation in Lebanon's south. 

"A soldier was killed and another was wounded as a result of an aggression by the Israeli enemy during an evacuation and rescue operation with the Lebanese Red Cross in Taybeh village," the military said.

The Lebanese Red Cross said four of its paramedics were wounded in the incident.

The Associated Press news agency reported, citing the Red Cross, that the medics convoy was accompanied by Lebanese troops and its movements had been coordinated with UN peacekeepers.

Lebanon's Health Ministry has raised the death toll in the Israeli attack on central Beirut to nine, with 14 other people injured. 

The ministry said it would give a final toll after authorities identify the remains removed from the site with DNA tests. 

The Islamic Health Authority, a health institution affiliated with Hezbollah, said seven of its staff were killed in the attack. 

Robin Ramaekers, a correspondent for Belgian broadcaster VTM, and cameraman Stijn De Smet were injured while reporting in Beirut and are being treated at a hospital, their employer has said. 

According to a statement by VTM parent company DPG media, Ramaekers suffered facial injuries and De Smet was being treated for a gunshot wound to the leg. A local fixer was also injured, according to reports in Belgian media.

"Last night there was a bombing in central Beirut. When Robin and Stijn wanted to run a report on that, they got injured," said the DPG media statement. 

"Both are now in safety and are being cared for."

DPG said the exact circumstances of the incident were unclear. Ramaekers last posted early Thursday on social media a video captioned: "Rockets in the middle of the old center of Beirut." 

Israeli strikes on central Beirut killed at least nine people, including two medics who were affiliated with the Islamic Health Authority, a health services institution linked to Hezbollah. 

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it "repelled with artillery fire" an attempt by Israeli forces to advance at a border point in southern Lebanon. 

Israel did not immediately comment, but Hezbollah's claim came a day after eight Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting with the Iran-backed group in Lebanon's south.

Hezbollah later said it fired a barrage of rockets at the western Israeli city of Tiberias.

The attack, the group said, was in retaliation to the Israeli bombardment of Lebanese "towns, villages and civilians."

The Israeli army has not yet confirmed whether the attack was intercepted. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was ramping up humanitarian aid to Lebanon by an additional €30 million ($33 million).

The EU had already announced Sunday a €10 million emergency aid package for Lebanon. The announcements bring the total EU humanitarian assistance to the country to over €100 million this year. 

"Our new funding will ensure civilians receive much needed assistance during this very difficult time," von der Leyen said.

"I am extremely concerned by the constant escalation of tensions in the Middle East. All parties must do their utmost to protect the lives of innocent civilians," she added.

The Israeli army has confirmed its forces killed a senior Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip three months ago. 

Rawhi Mushtaha was the most senior of three commanders from the Islamist militant group killed in the attack, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

Israel struck a fortified underground compound in northern Gaza that served as a control center while the three were in the bunker, according to the IDF.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas, although there had been rumors of Mushtaha's death for months.

Mushtaha is believed to have co-founded Hamas' armed wing and is said to be one of the main conspirators behind the October 7 terror attacks.

In 2015, the United States listed Mushtaha as a "specially designated global terrorist." The United States, Israel, Germany and several other countries classify Hamas as a terrorist organization.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has condemned Israel's strikes on Lebanon and called the conflict in the region a "collective genocide." 

"It has become crystal clear that what is happening is genocide, in addition to turning the Gaza Strip into an area unfit for human habitation, in preparation for displacement," he said during the Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit in Doha on Thursday.

He also condemned Israel's airstrikes and military operations "against the brotherly Lebanese Republic."

Israel, which is facing accusations of genocide in a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has strongly objected to the allegations of war crimes and maintains that its actions are in self defense following Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and saw about 240 more taken hostage.

Over 41,500 people have been killed in the war in Gaza, according to health authorities in the Hamas-ruled territory.

Qatar, alongside the US and Egypt, have played a key role in mediating talks for a hostage deal and cease-fire in Gaza.

Yemen's Houthi rebel group said it targeted the Israeli city of Tel Aviv with overnight drone strikes. 

The spokesperson for the Iran-backed group claimed the attack "achieved its goals successfully by the arrival of the drones without being detected or shot down by the enemy."

However, there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The Israeli military said it shot down two drones over the sea in central Israel and that a third one landed in an "open area."

Israel did not name the source of the drones.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued fresh evacuation orders for several parts of southern Beirut in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The warning was directed at residents of the Haret Hreik, Burj al-Barajneh and Hadath Gharb areas specifically.

"You are located near facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah, which the army will act against in the near future," Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on social media.

Lebanon's health care system is struggling to keep up with the number of people injured in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said late on Wednesday.

"The death toll in Lebanon is rising, and hospitals are overwhelmed with the influx of injured patients," Tedros said on social media.

"The health system has been weakened by successive crises and is struggling to cope with the immense needs."

More than 1,000 people have died in Lebanon amid fighting that erupted last week and included Israeli strikes on Beirut, according to Lebanese authorities.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said Israeli strikes killed 46 people and injured 85 others on Wednesday alone.

"Any further escalation of the conflict will have catastrophic consequences for the region," Tedros added.

"The best medicine is peace."

At least six people were killed by an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon's Health Ministry said in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Another seven people were wounded in the attack, the ministry added.

The airstrike hit an apartment in the residential Bashoura district, not far from the United Nations office, the prime minister's office and the Lebanese parliament.

There was no warning issued ahead of the strike, The Associated Press reported.

The Hezbollah-run Al-Manar TV channel said the strike targeted a center of Hezbollah's health unit.

Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Shiite political party and militant group in Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the US, Germany and several Sunni Arab countries, while the EU lists its armed wing as a terrorist group.

zc/wd (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)