Mohammed Afif killed in first Israeli airstrike on central Beirut in more than a month, official says
William Christou reports for the Guardian from Beirut on the strike by Israeli forces on a Ba’ath party center in Ras al-Nabaa, central Beirut, on Sunday afternoon, the first strike on central Beirut in over a month:
The attack on the busy residential neighbourhood came without warning, and appeared to cause damage to neighbouring buildings.
The strike comes as Israel intensifies its airstrikes across Lebanon as Lebanese officials prepare to give their response to an Israeli ceasefire proposal on Monday. The Israeli military issued a series of evacuation warnings on Saturday and Sunday for Dahiyeh, the southern suburbs of Beirut, striking over a dozen targets in bombings heard across the capital city.
Afif had been especially visible after Israel’s military escalation in September and following the assassination of longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was also killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Israeli warplanes had earlier pounded the southern suburbs of Beirut after the military warned people to evacuate from several buildings. The Hezbollah militant group has a strong presence in the area, known as the Dahiyeh, and the strikes came as Lebanese officials are considering a U.S.-brokered cease-fire proposal.
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