By Anietie anii-bassey
Powerful Israeli airstrikes struck densely populated neighborhoods in central Beirut on Wednesday afternoon, sending plumes of black smoke over the capital and shattering a brief sense of calm that had followed a newly announced ceasefire in the war involving Iran. Lebanese health authorities reported that dozens of people were killed and hundreds wounded in preliminary figures, with casualties expected to rise as rescue operations continued into the evening.
The strikes came without warning and targeted multiple commercial and residential districts in the heart of the city, an escalation that Lebanese officials described as one of the most dangerous turning points since the conflict expanded. Israel has maintained that the ceasefire agreement tied to its confrontation with Iran does not apply to its ongoing war with Hezbollah, though mediators, including Pakistan, have suggested otherwise.
According to the Israeli military, more than 100 targets linked to Hezbollah were hit in a coordinated operation lasting roughly 10 minutes. The strikes spanned central Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa Valley, marking what Israeli officials described as the largest and most concentrated assault of the current campaign.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos as explosions tore through busy streets during what had been a typical afternoon. Traffic noise was abruptly drowned out by the sound of blasts, followed by sirens as ambulances rushed toward burning buildings and shattered vehicles. Emergency crews combed through debris in search of survivors, while panicked residents fled the affected neighborhoods.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that at least five central and coastal districts in Beirut were hit, many of them bustling commercial zones. Several of the strikes landed near shops and apartment buildings, intensifying fears among civilians already displaced by weeks of fighting.
Lebanese officials sharply condemned the attacks. Nawaf Salam accused Israel of deliberately escalating at a moment when diplomatic efforts were underway to halt the violence. He said the strikes targeted civilian areas in “utter disregard” for international humanitarian law.
Haneed Sayed described the bombardment as a critical escalation, noting that many of those affected were already internally displaced and sheltering in central Beirut. She said the government remained ready to pursue negotiations to end hostilities, adding that diplomatic contacts were ongoing.
Israel’s military, however, defended the operation, stating that it had targeted missile launchers, command centers, and intelligence infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah. It accused the group of embedding military assets within civilian areas and using residents as human shields, a claim repeatedly rejected by local officials and residents.
At one strike site in the Corniche al-Mazraa district, municipal officials insisted the area was purely residential. Witnesses pointed to damaged apartment buildings and nearby storefronts as evidence that civilian infrastructure had been hit. Residents gathered amid the rubble expressed anger and disbelief, describing the attacks as indiscriminate.
The escalation marked a significant shift, as Israel had largely avoided striking central Beirut since the current phase of the conflict began on March 2, focusing instead on southern and eastern regions and the العاصمة’s southern suburbs.
The strikes also cast doubt over fragile diplomatic efforts. A Hezbollah official said the group had been willing to give mediators time to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon but warned that it would not accept a return to conditions that allowed near-daily Israeli strikes prior to the current war. The official emphasized that Hezbollah had not committed to any ceasefire, citing continued Israeli operations.
The broader conflict intensified after Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks and drawing Hezbollah into the confrontation. Cross-border missile fire and Israeli bombardment have since devastated large parts of Lebanon, accompanied by a ground incursion.
Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said operations against Hezbollah would continue, emphasizing the need to protect communities in northern Israel that have faced sustained rocket fire.
Since the escalation began, Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,500 people in Lebanon, including women and children, according to Lebanese authorities. More than one million people have been displaced, many seeking refuge in makeshift shelters in Beirut and other المدن.
Earlier on Wednesday, news of the ceasefire with Iran had prompted cautious optimism among displaced families. In Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon, some began packing their belongings with plans to return home. That hope quickly faded after Israeli officials signaled that military operations in Lebanon would continue.
At a large displacement camp along Beirut’s waterfront, families described feeling trapped between uncertainty and danger. Many had already endured weeks of hardship, living in tents with limited access to basic services.
Benjamin Netanyahu reinforced those fears, vowing that Israeli forces would press ahead with their campaign in Lebanon despite the ceasefire elsewhere. His remarks left many displaced civilians unsure whether it was safe to return to their homes.
For people like Fadi Zaydan, who had planned to head back to southern Lebanon with his family, the renewed strikes forced a painful reconsideration. With conditions still volatile, they chose to remain displaced rather than risk returning to مناطق that could come under fire again, underscoring the deep uncertainty gripping civilians as the conflict shows little sign of easing.
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