Israel storms central Beirut, says Iran's freeze doesn't work in Lebanon – National
Israeli airstrikes hit several densely populated commercial and residential areas in central Beirut on Wednesday afternoon without warning, hours after a ceasefire was declared in the US and Israel-Iran war.
Israel has said the agreement does not extend to its war with the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon, although a Pakistani mediator said it did.
The Israeli army called it the largest coordinated strike in the current war, hitting more than 100 Hezbollah targets within 10 minutes in Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa valley.
Black smoke billowed over several parts of the sea capital. The explosion interrupted the roar of traffic on this busy afternoon, in the sky. Ambulances rushed to open flames. Apartment buildings were hit. Emergency responders searched for burned vehicles.
It was not yet clear how many people were killed or injured, but many of the strikes were in busy areas, causing panic on the streets. Lebanon's National News Agency reported that airstrikes hit at least five different locations in central and coastal Beirut.
The Minister of Social Affairs in Lebanon, Haneed Sayed, in an interview with the Associated Press, condemned the series of Israeli strikes, calling it “a very dangerous change.”
“These tracks are now in the center of Beirut … Half of the sheltered people (homeless people) are in Beirut in this area,” he said, adding that he had recently driven the areas hit by them.
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He said the Lebanese government is ready to enter into negotiations with Israel to end the war, a promise the president made earlier. Israel has not responded.
“There are calls and efforts being made as we speak,” said Sayed.
The Israeli military said it had targeted missile launchers, command centers and intelligence infrastructure and accused Hezbollah of using civilians as human shields.
“The country of Lebanon and its citizens must reject Hezbollah's immersion in the no-man's land and its weapons-building capabilities,” the army said in a statement.
Residents and local officials denied that the buildings that were hit belonged to the military.
“Look at this crime,” said Mohammed Balouza, a member of Beirut's municipal council, at the strike site in the center of the Corniche al Mazraa, a mixed commercial and residential area. A building behind a popular store that sells nuts and dried fruits was hit. “This is a residential area. There are no (military) here.”
Israel has rarely attacked central Beirut since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war broke out on March 2 but has been attacking southern and eastern Lebanon and areas south of Beirut.
Before the new strikes, a Hezbollah official told the AP that the group was offering mediators an opportunity to ensure an end to fighting in Lebanon, but “we have not announced our adherence to the ceasefire as the Israelis are not following it.” He spoke and asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to comment publicly.
A senior Hezbollah official said the group would not accept a return to the pre-March 2 situation, when Israel carried out almost daily strikes in Lebanon despite a ceasefire since the last full-scale Israeli-Hezbollah war ended in November 2024.
“We will not allow the Israelis to continue to behave as they did before this war in terms of attacks,” he said. “We don't want this phase to continue.”
Hezbollah had fired missiles across the border days after the US and Israel attacked Iran, sparking a regional war. Israel responded with bombings of Lebanon and ground attacks.
An Israeli army chief on Wednesday said they would continue to “use every operational opportunity” to strike Hezbollah. Lt Gen. Eyal Zamir said it is for the protection of Israeli citizens in the north, who have faced heavy fire.
Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 1,530 people in Lebanon, including more than 100 women and 130 children. Israel's military says it has killed hundreds of Hezbollah fighters. More than a million people have been displaced in Lebanon.
Early Wednesday, after a ceasefire was announced in Iran, many homeless people sleeping in tents on the streets of Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon began packing their belongings in preparation to return to their homes.
That was before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to advance troops into Lebanon.
In a refugee camp near Beirut, families hit by the conflicting statements expressed confusion and despair.
“We can no longer accept this, sleeping in a tent, not showering, uncertainty,” said Fadi Zaydan, 35. He and his parents had prepared to return to the southern city of Nabatieh before Netanyahu's words stopped them.
“But we will be targeted by them when we return home,” said Zaydan. His family decided to wait things out for now in Sidon, closer to home.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
