Israeli airstrikes hit wide areas of Lebanese capital during rush hours

BEIRUT / ISTANBUL

Israeli airstrikes struck wide areas of the Lebanese capital Beirut during rush hours on Wednesday, hitting residential neighborhoods with a Sunni majority and raising fears of high civilian casualties.

The Lebanese state news agency NNA reported that Israeli warplanes launched raids on multiple locations in Beirut, in addition to Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, Mount Lebanon, and the south.

An Anadolu correspondent said the attacks targeted residential neighborhoods with a Sunni majority, meaning they are outside Hezbollah-controlled areas.

He added that Israel carried out the strikes during rush hours, raising fears of a large number of casualties.

The attacks came hours after the US and Iran announced a two-week truce on Tuesday, in preparation for reaching an agreement to end the war that Washington and Tel Aviv launched against Tehran on Feb. 28, which has left thousands of dead and wounded.

While Iran, Pakistani mediators, and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Lebanon is included in the truce, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that the Arab country is not part of the ceasefire.

Israel has carried out airstrikes and a ground offensive in southern Lebanon since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2, despite a ceasefire that took effect in November 2024.

Lebanese authorities said that at least 1,530 people have since been killed and 4,812 others injured in the Israeli attacks.