An Israeli airstrike hit an apartment in the Ramada Hotel building in downtown Beirut early Sunday, killing at least four people and wounding ten, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Israel claims to have targeted Iranian commanders operating in the Lebanese capital.
The attack occurred in the Raouche district, a coastal area of Beirut, and was the first Israeli strike to hit the city center since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah resumed the previous week. Images broadcast from the scene showed significant damage to the targeted building.
According to the Israeli military, the target of the operation was a group of commanders from the Quds Force, the elite unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Israeli authorities claim these officials were involved in planning attacks against Israel and its civilians, but have not disclosed their identities.
The hotel also housed displaced people who had fled fighting in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut. After the strike, several families were seen hastily leaving the premises, fearing further airstrikes.
The previous week, Israel announced it had killed Daoud Ali Zadeh, commander of the Iranian Quds Force in Lebanon, in a strike carried out in Tehran. This operation had already marked a significant escalation in the confrontation between Israel and Iranian-backed forces.
Lebanon found itself drawn into the escalating Middle Eastern conflict after Hezbollah, an ally of Tehran, launched rockets and drones at Israel. In response, the Israeli military intensified its strikes against Hezbollah positions in southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as on the outskirts of Beirut.
