At Least Five Killed as Israel Attacks Religious Site in Central Beirut

Israel is continuing to increase airstrikes against various neighborhoods of the Lebanese capital city of Beirut. Today, those strikes centered on the densely populated working-class quarter of Zoa al-Blat. This attack hit near al-Zahra Husseini a, a Shi’ite religious site.

The attack occurred late in the afternoon, and the Lebanese Health Ministry puts the current toll at five killed and 24 injured. The attack hit a residential apartment building behind the Husseiniya, causing substantial damage to the immediate area. Rescue efforts are still underway.

The Zoqaq al-Blat Quarter, which is home to multiple embassies, has taken in a large number of displaced civilians from southern and eastern Lebanon, fleeing their homes after Israel imposed evacuation orders. Israel continues to issue such orders over an ever-increasing area since its invasion.