Beirut, Nov 18 (AP) Israeli airstrikes targeted a neighborhood in the heart of Lebanon's capital late Monday evening, slamming into an area near the Parliament, several embassies and the U.N. headquarters, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency.

Ambulance sirens echoed through the area in Beirut, and Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least four people were killed and 18 wounded. A reporter with The Associated Press at the scene described significant casualties on the street.

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Since late September, Israel has dramatically escalated its bombardment of Lebanon, vowing to cripple the militant group Hezbollah and end its barrages into Israel. More than 3,400 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli fire — 80% of them in the past month — Lebanon's Health Ministry says.

The current wave of conflict gripping the Middle East began when the Palestinian militant group Hamas stormed from Gaza into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Hezbollah began firing into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, in solidarity with Hamas.

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Israel's war in Gaza has killed over 43,800 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. The officials do not distinguish between militants and civilians but say most of those killed are women and children. The fighting has left some 76 people dead in Israel, including 31 soldiers.

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Israel bombs a main water facility in southern Lebanon, killing 2 local officials

BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike targeted the main water facility in the southern port city of Tyre, killing two local officials and injuring two others, further compounding southern Lebanon's worsening water crisis, Lebanon's state media said.

The attack severely damaged the facility, prompting the Tyre Municipality to urge residents to ration water use until repairs can be made, the National News Agency said.

Those killed in the attack included Samer Shaghri, a local elected official called a mukhtar who handles residents' administrative affairs, and Qassem Wehbi, the deputy mayor of Burj al-Shamali, a town east of Tyre.

This strike is part of a broader pattern of bombardments in the 13-month conflict between Hezbollah and Israel that, according to an October 22 UNICEF report, have damaged at least 28 water facilities, cutting off access to safe water for over 360,000 people, primarily in southern Lebanon.

UNICEF's report quoted Lebanon's Minister of Energy, Walid Fayyad, who said, “The ongoing hostilities have inflicted severe damage on Lebanon's essential services, leaving hundreds of thousands without access to safe water and electricity.”

Israeli airstrike hits central Beirut near key government buildings and embassies

BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike hit a densely populated residential area in central Beirut on Monday evening, close to major landmarks including the U.N. headquarters in Lebanon, the country's parliament, the prime minister's office and several embassies, including the EU delegation.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two missiles hit the area of Zoqaq al-Blat. The strike follows reports that the U.S. envoy has delayed his visit for cease-fire talks.

Ambulance sirens echoed through the area, and the Health Ministry said at least four people were killed and 18 wounded. A reporter with The Associated Press at the scene described significant casualties on the street.

The target of the airstrike remains unclear, and the Israeli army did not issue a prior warning.

Many areas in central Beirut, including Zoqaq al-Blat, became a refuge for people displaced by the ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut.

This is the second consecutive day of Israeli airstrikes on central Beirut after more than a month-long pause on strikes in that part of the capital. On Sunday, a strike in the area of Ras el-Nabaa killed Hezbollah media spokesperson Mohammed Afif, along with six other people, including a woman. Later that day, four people were killed in a separate strike in the commercial district of Mar Elias. It remains unclear what the target of that strike was.

Biden says he will keep pushing Gaza cease-fire efforts

RIO DE JANEIRO -- President Joe Biden told fellow global leaders at a Group of 20 summit Monday that his soon-to-end administration would keep pushing to bring an equitable end to Israel's devastating war against Hamas in Gaza.

Seated between leaders of France and India at a long oval table at the summit site in Rio de Janeiro, Biden cited U.S. efforts on hunger and poverty in his soon-to-end four years in office, saying he had put $160 billion into global development.

With fewer than three months left in his term, Biden also said his administration would keep pressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government on its conduct of the war and the need to end it. “Israel has a right to defend itself after the worse massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. But how it defends itself ... matters a great deal.”

“We're going to keep pushing to accelerate a cease-fire deal that ensures Israel's security and brings hostages home and ends the suffering of the Palestinian people and children,” he said.

Biden also said Hamas was still refusing a deal, adding, “I am asking everyone to increase the pressure on Hamas.”

UN says an aid convoy was attacked in Gaza

TEL AVIV, Israel — United Nations aid organizations say a convoy carrying food supplies in Gaza was attacked over the weekend, further contributing to severe food shortages across the besieged territory.

UNRWA, the main U.N. agency responsible for distributing aid in Gaza, said gunmen stole aid from 97 of the convoy's 109 trucks on Saturday.

The Israeli military has said that attacking and stealing aid is an ongoing problem, especially in southern Gaza. COGAT, the military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, said convoys are attacked by Hamas militants and known crime families. The military did not have an immediate response to Saturday's attack.

Death toll rises to 7 in Israeli strike in central Beirut

BEIRUT — Lebanon's Health Ministry said the toll from Sunday's Israeli strike in central Beirut rose to seven killed, including a woman, and 26 wounded.

The Health Ministry also said Monday that three people were killed and 29 wounded in a separate strike Sunday in the Mar Elias area of central Beirut.

The Hezbollah militant group said five members were killed including its spokesperson Mohammad Afif in the strike in the Ras Al Nabaa area. (AP)

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