Scores killed as Israel strikes central Beirut after saying Iran ceasefire doesn't apply there

BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli strikes deed respective dense commercialized and residential areas successful cardinal Beirut without informing connected Wednesday afternoon, hours aft a ceasefire was announced successful the U.S.-Israeli warfare with Iran. Lebanon’s wellness ministry said astatine slightest 89 radical were killed and 700 were wounded.

U.S. President Donald Trump told PBS News Hour that Lebanon was not included successful the woody due to the fact that of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group. When asked astir Israel’s latest strikes, helium said, “That’s a abstracted skirmish.” Israel had said the statement does not widen to its warfare with the Iran-backed Hezbollah, though mediator Pakistan said it does.

The fleeting consciousness of alleviation among Lebanese aft the ceasefire announcement turned into panic with what Israel’s subject called its largest coordinated onslaught successful the existent war, hitting much than 100 Hezbollah targets wrong 10 minutes successful Beirut, confederate Lebanon and the eastbound Bekaa Valley.

Black fume towered implicit respective parts of the seaside capital, wherever a immense fig of radical displaced by warfare person taken shelter. Explosions interrupted the honking of postulation connected what had been a bustling, blue-sky afternoon. Ambulances raced toward unfastened flames. Apartment buildings were struck.

Associated Press journalists saw charred bodies successful vehicles and connected the crushed astatine 1 of Beirut’s busiest intersections successful the cardinal Corniche al Mazraa neighborhood, a mixed commercialized and residential area. Using forklifts, rescue workers removed smoldering debris and sifted done ruins for survivors.

There was nary motion of Hezbollah launching strikes against Israel successful the archetypal mates of hours aft the attacks.

A deadly midday barrage

Central Beirut has been targeted before, but not by truthful galore strikes astatine erstwhile and successful the mediate of the day. Israel had seldom struck cardinal Beirut since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah warfare connected March 2 but has regularly struck confederate and eastbound Lebanon and Beirut’s confederate suburbs.

Lebanon's Minister of Social Affairs, Haneed Sayed, successful an interrogation with The Associated Press condemned Israel’s wide scope of strikes, calling it a “very unsafe turning point.”

“These hits are present astatine the bosom of Beirut … Half of the sheltered (internally displaced people) are successful Beirut successful this area,” she said, adding that she had conscionable driven by areas hit.

She said Lebanon's authorities is acceptable to participate into negotiations with Israel for an extremity to hostilities, an connection that the Lebanese president antecedently made. Israel has not responded. “There are calls and efforts being made arsenic we speak," Sayed said.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam successful a connection accused Israel of escalating astatine a infinitesimal erstwhile Lebanese officials were seeking to negociate a solution, and of hitting civilian areas successful “utter disregard for the principles of planetary instrumentality and planetary humanitarian instrumentality — principles it has, successful immoderate case, ne'er respected.”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called the Israeli attacks “barbaric.”

Israel's subject said it had targeted rocket launchers, bid centers and quality infrastructure. It accused Hezbollah fighters of trying to “blend into” non-Shiite Muslim areas beyond their accepted strongholds.

Residents and section officials denied that the buildings deed were subject sites.

“Look astatine these crimes,” said Mohammed Balouza, a subordinate of Beirut’s municipal council, astatine the country of a onslaught successful Corniche al Mazraa. An flat gathering down a fashionable store selling nuts and dried effect had been hit. “This is simply a residential area. There is thing (military) here.”

An Israeli informing and a defiant Hezbollah

As the fume roseate Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hezbollah person Naim Kassem that “his crook volition come.” In 2024, Israel killed Hezbollah's erstwhile leader, Hassan Nasrallah, with an airstrike.

Katz called Wednesday's strikes the largest stroke against Hezbollah since the onslaught that caused pagers utilized by hundreds of its members to detonate astir simultaneously successful September 2024.

Before the caller strikes, a Hezbollah authoritative told the AP that the radical was giving a accidental for mediators to unafraid a ceasefire successful Lebanon, but “we person not announced our adherence to the ceasefire since the Israelis are not adhering to it.” He spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that helium was not authorized to remark publicly.

The Hezbollah authoritative said the radical volition not judge a instrumentality to the pre-March 2 presumption quo, erstwhile Israel carried retired near-daily strikes successful Lebanon contempt a ceasefire being nominally successful spot since the past full-blown Israel-Hezbollah warfare ended successful November 2024.

“We volition not judge for the Israelis to proceed behaving arsenic they did earlier this warfare with regards to attacks,” helium said.

Hezbollah had fired missiles crossed the borderline days aft the United States and Israel attacked Iran connected Feb. 28, sparking a determination war. Israel responded with wide bombardment of Lebanon and a crushed invasion.

The Israeli subject main of staff, Lt Gen. Eyal Zamir, said the attacks are to support Israel’s bluish residents, who person travel nether dense fire.

Since the warfare started and earlier Wednesday's attacks, Israeli airstrikes killed much than 1,530 radical successful Lebanon, including much than 100 women and 130 children. The Israeli subject has said it has killed hundreds of Hezbollah fighters. More than 1 cardinal radical person been displaced successful Lebanon.

Early Wednesday, aft the Iran ceasefire was announced and earlier Israel struck, galore displaced radical sleeping successful tents connected the streets of Beirut and the coastal metropolis of Sidon had begun packing their belongings successful mentation to instrumentality home.

Families astatine a sprawling displacement campy connected Beirut’s waterfront aboriginal expressed disorder and despair.

“We can’t instrumentality this anymore, sleeping successful a tent, not showering, the uncertainty,” said Fadi Zaydan, 35. He and his parents had prepared to caput backmost to the confederate metropolis of Nabatieh. Instead, they decided to hold things retired successful Sidon, a spot person to home.

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Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre contributed. AP writers Hussein Mallah and Fadi Tawil successful Beirut, Michelle Price successful Washington and Melanie Lidman successful Eilat, Israel, contributed.

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