Israeli jets have struck a residential building in central Beirut and issued new evacuation orders for 20 buildings in the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs
Israeli jets struck a residential building in central Beirut on Tuesday and issued new evacuation orders for 20 buildings in the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs.
The strike leveled the building in central Beirut’s Basta neighborhood, the second strike in recent days in the crowded area near the city’s downtown.
There were no immediate report of casualties. It was not immediately clear if anyone in particular was targeted, though Israel says its airstrikes target Hezbollah officials and assets.
In a signal of more strikes to come, Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in the southern Beirut suburbs, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the United Nations peacekeeping mission, known as UNIFIL, is headquartered.
The Beirut strike came hours before Israel’s security Cabinet was scheduled to meet to vote on a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal aimed at ending more than a year of fighting between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
Israeli warplanes struck buildings in Beirut’s suburbs and in a southern Lebanese city Tuesday, as Israel’s security Cabinet prepared to vote on a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal aimed at ending more than a year of fighting with Hezbollah.
Hopes have risen for the deal, which calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border.
Israel’s security Cabinet, meeting Tuesday afternoon, was expected to approve the proposal, which Lebanese officials have said Hezbollah also supports.
Among the main sticking points has been an Israeli demand to reserve the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Under the proposal, thousands of Lebanese troopsand U.
