Aoun calls for unity, warns against sectarian incitement
President Joseph Aoun called Wednesday for unity and solidarity and the rejection of division and sectarian provocation, hours after Israel flattened an apartment building in central Beirut and killed ten people in other neighborhoods of the city.
Israel's military claimed the building in Bashoura was being used by Hezbollah to store "millions of dollars intended to finance its activities," without providing evidence. An apartment in the building was hit last week, and the building had also been targeted in the 2024 war.
Other attacks on apartment buildings in central Beirut have killed at least ten people and wounded 27 others, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.
The Israeli army also said it had begun a wave of strikes targeting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon “in response to firing into Israeli territory.”
Israel’s strikes have displaced more than 1 million Lebanese — roughly 20% of the population — according to the Lebanese government, which says more than 900 people have been killed. In Israel, 14 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire. At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed.
More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since the conflict started Feb. 28, according to the Iranian Red Crescent.
The strikes overnight into Wednesday destroyed the illusion of safe areas in the capital, residents and first responders said.
In the renewed fighting with Hezbollah, Israel has concentrated most strikes where the group has a strong presence in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
But several attacks early Wednesday hit city center neighborhoods, some without warning.
"Today, Beirut is no different from the southern suburbs," fire brigade Capt. Neshat Berri said in the Bashoura neighborhood, where emergency crews dug through rubble.
Near a building damaged by a strike in the Basta neighborhood, resident Hassan Jaber said there was "no safety."
"We will continue to be exposed to this. Beirut is no different (from other areas)," he said. "May God protect us."
Source: Naharnet, Associated Press
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