On March 11, an Israeli strike hit an apartment block in central Beirut's Aicha Bakkar neighbourhood, Lebanon's state news agency reported, widening the scope of attacks in the capital beyond the predominantly Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs.
Video and photographic footage circulating after the strike showed two floors of the apartment building extensively damaged, with smoke rising from the structure. There was no immediate statement from the Israeli military, and Lebanese authorities reported no immediate casualty figures following the strike.
This incident would be the second recorded strike in central Beirut in a four-day span. On the previous Sunday, a strike hit a seafront hotel in the Raouche neighbourhood. The Israeli military said that earlier strike targeted five senior members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Quds Force.
Lebanese officials say that nearly 570 people have been killed by Israeli strikes since Iran-backed Hezbollah opened fire on March 2 to avenge the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued heavy strikes overnight on the southern suburbs of Beirut, known locally as Dahiyeh. The Israeli military has issued evacuation orders for residents of the predominantly Shi'ite Dahiyeh, in addition to residents across a swathe of southern Lebanon and parts of the east.
The United Nations has reported that some 700,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon, a figure representing more than a tenth of the country's population. The mass displacements and the widening geography of strikes signal a deepening humanitarian and security emergency within Lebanon.
Context and immediate developments
The strike in Aicha Bakkar appears to expand the locations within Beirut that have been directly affected by the conflict. While the Israeli military did not immediately comment on the March 11 attack, footage from the neighbourhood showed substantial structural damage and smoke.
Authorities continue to report casualty and displacement figures as active operations persist across multiple areas of Lebanon, with heavy bombardment concentrated on southern suburbs overnight.
Looking ahead
Officials and international agencies are tracking evacuation orders and displacement figures as the situation evolves. The reported death toll of nearly 570 and the displacement of roughly 700,000 people underscore the scale of the crisis on the ground.