Lebanese state-run National News Agency says Israeli airstrikes have targeted a neighborhood in the heart of Lebanon’s capital late Monday, slamming into an area near the Parliament, several embassies, and the U.N. headquarters.

At least five people were killed and 31 wounded, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. An Associated Press reporter at the scene in Beirut described significant casualties on the street as ambulance sirens echoed through the area.

Escalation of Israel Strikes Since Late September 

Since late September, Israel has dramatically heightened its pounding of Lebanon, vowing to cripple the militant group Hezbollah and bring an end to its barrages into Israel. More than 3,500 people have died in Lebanon as a result of Israeli fire over the past year — 80% of them in the past month — Lebanon’s Health Ministry says.

Ongoing Conflict and Regional  Impact

The ongoing wave of conflict across the Middle East started with a Hamas militancy storming from Gaza into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and abducting some 250. Hezbollah launched its artillery and missile attacks on Israel on October 8, 2023, in support of Hamas.(More)

Death Toll and Humanitarian Impact

Local health authorities said that more than 43,800 Palestinians died in the war Israel waged against Gaza. The officials, who do not show any differentiation between militants and civilians, say that most of the people killed are women and children. Until now, fighting has claimed 77 lives on the Israeli side, with 31 soldiers.