{"id":7166,"date":"2026-03-18T10:59:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T10:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jubaglobal.com\/?p=7166"},"modified":"2026-03-18T11:03:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T11:03:43","slug":"israel-strikes-central-beirut-killing-at-least-12-as-war-expands-into-lebanon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/israel-strikes-central-beirut-killing-at-least-12-as-war-expands-into-lebanon\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel Strikes Central Beirut, Killing at Least 12, as War Expands into Lebanon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Juba Global News Network | JubaGlobal.com<\/strong>
March 18, 2026<\/em> \u2014 Beirut, Lebanon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Intense Israeli airstrikes pounded apartment buildings in the heart of Beirut early Wednesday, flattening at least one multi-storey residential block and killing at least 12 people while wounding dozens more, as the escalating conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah spills from southern Lebanon into the densely populated centre of the Lebanese capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The overnight and morning barrage \u2014 part of a relentless eight-hour wave of attacks \u2014 marks a dangerous new phase in the third week of the wider Middle East war. What began as targeted operations against Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburbs has now reached neighbourhoods just steps from downtown Beirut\u2019s government headquarters, shopping districts, and hotels, sending shockwaves through a city already on edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eyewitnesses and rescue teams described scenes of chaos: thick plumes of smoke rising over the skyline, emergency sirens wailing, and residents sifting through rubble for survivors. Lebanese health ministry officials confirmed the toll from the central Beirut strikes alone stands at a minimum of 10 to 12 dead and at least 27 injured, with additional casualties reported from simultaneous operations elsewhere in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the most devastating hits occurred in the Bashoura neighbourhood shortly after 5:30 a.m. local time. Israeli forces issued an evacuation warning via social media at around 4 a.m., marking the target building on a map and stating it housed a \u201cfacility belonging to the terrorist group Hezbollah.\u201d A powerful missile struck the base of a 10-storey apartment block, causing it to collapse entirely into a heap of concrete and twisted steel. Thanks to the prior alert, no casualties were immediately reported at this specific site, but the psychological impact on nearby residents was immense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just hours earlier, around 1:30 a.m., unannounced strikes slammed into the nearby Zuqaq al-Blat and Basta districts \u2014 historic mixed neighbourhoods with significant Shiite populations where Hezbollah and its ally Amal hold sway. One apartment block lost several floors; another suffered direct hits that tore through at least two levels. Among the confirmed dead in Zuqaq al-Blat was Mohammad Shari, director of political programmes at Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV, along with his wife. Their children and grandchildren were rushed to hospital with injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A final strike in Zuqaq al-Blat around 8 a.m. compounded the damage, ripping through yet another building just 50 metres from an earlier impact site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Israeli military later issued a statement claiming the operation targeted \u201cHezbollah infrastructure and assets\u201d linked to the group\u2019s financial arm, Al-Qard Al-Hassan, which Israel accuses of financing militant activities. \u201cWe have completed an overnight wave of precise strikes,\u201d the statement read, directly tying the action to Hezbollah\u2019s launch of nearly 100 rockets, drones, and artillery shells into northern Israel the previous day \u2014 one of the group\u2019s heaviest barrages since the current escalation began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hezbollah, for its part, has made no secret of its role. The group openly claimed responsibility for Tuesday\u2019s rocket salvo, framing it as support for Iran amid the broader regional conflict. Lebanese security sources corroborated the scale of the barrage, describing it as a coordinated effort across multiple fronts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This expansion into central Beirut is no accident. Since March 2, when Hezbollah officially entered the fray in solidarity with Tehran following Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iranian territory \u2014 including high-profile assassinations such as that of Iran\u2019s former security chief Ali Larijani and, overnight, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib \u2014 Israel has steadily widened its campaign. What started in the southern border villages and the Hezbollah-dominated Dahieh suburbs has now reached the capital\u2019s core. Israeli officials have signalled that the campaign against Hezbollah could continue long after any de-escalation with Iran itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The human cost is mounting at an alarming rate. Lebanon\u2019s health ministry reports more than 900 people killed nationwide since the start of this phase of the war on March 2, including at least 111 children. Over one million Lebanese have been displaced, many fleeing south Beirut and the east for safer \u2014 though increasingly illusory \u2014 areas further north. Hospitals are overwhelmed; rescue workers dig through the night; and entire families huddle in makeshift shelters along the coast or in schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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International observers and aid groups warn of a rapidly unfolding humanitarian disaster. Scenes from the rubble in Zuqaq al-Blat and Bashoura \u2014 firefighters in yellow helmets spraying water on smouldering debris, crowds of stunned residents chanting in support of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah \u2014 echo the devastation seen in Gaza and southern Lebanon in previous rounds of fighting. One bystander, speaking to reporters amid the dust, simply said: \u201cNowhere feels safe anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strikes come against a backdrop of broader regional turmoil. Gulf states including Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia have been forced to intercept waves of Iranian missiles and drones aimed at Israel. Oil markets remain jittery, with prices spiking amid fears of disruption to the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, U.S. involvement \u2014 including recent high-level resignations over the Iran policy \u2014 continues to draw global scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lebanese officials have condemned the attacks, with Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar describing strikes on civilian infrastructure and even civil defence workers as \u201cviolations of international law.\u201d Hezbollah vows to continue its resistance, while Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has warned of \u201cmore surprises\u201d in the two-front war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As smoke still lingers over central Beirut and rescue operations continue, one thing is clear: the war that many hoped would remain contained to the southern frontier has now firmly arrived in the heart of Lebanon\u2019s capital. With no immediate ceasefire in sight and both sides trading heavy blows, the risk of a full-scale regional conflagration grows by the hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Juba Global News Network will continue to monitor developments from the ground and provide independent, fact-based coverage of this fast-moving crisis. Stay informed at JubaGlobal.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporting contributed by field correspondents in Beirut and regional analysts. Images and video verification cross-checked with multiple international sources.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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