Israel targets Hizbollah military chief in deadly Beirut air strike

Israel said it carried out an air strike on Sunday targeting Hezbollah’s chief of staff in Beirut, hitting an apartment building in an operation which the Iran-backed militant group said crossed a red line.

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Lebanon's health ministry said the strike killed five people and wounded 28. It did not give the identities of the people killed.

The strike took place in the Haret Hreik area in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a densely-populated area where Hizbollah holds sway.

Hezbollah confirmed a senior commander was targeted in the strike, while an Israeli government spokeswoman declined to give the name of the target at this stage. An AFP correspondent at the scene said the strike hit the third and fourth floors of a nine-storey building.

Debris littered the road below, with a car damaged in the street. Dust could be seen rising from the block, with rescue workers inside the apartments searching for survivors.

Ambulances and fire crews scrambled to the scene and rescuers evacuated a wounded woman on a stretcher. A crowd gathered in the street and Lebanese soldiers were deployed to secure the site. Lebanon's official National News Agency said three missiles were fired at the building.

Following the strike, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged the international community to intervene to halt Israeli attacks.