Israeli airstrike hits central Beirut

Civil defence workers dig through the rubble of a building following an Israeli airstrike in Baalbek city. Pic/AFP

The first apparent Israeli airstrike on central Beirut in nearly a year of conflict levelled an apartment building early Monday. It came after Israel hit targets across Lebanon and killed dozens of people, as Hezbollah sustained heavy blows to its command structure, including the killing of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

The airstrike hit a residential building, according to an Associated Press journalist at the scene. Videos showed ambulances and a crowd gathered near the building in a mainly Sunni district with a busy thoroughfare lined with shops.

A Palestinian leftist faction in Lebanon said three of its members were killed in the airstrike. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said in a statement early Monday that its military and security commanders in Lebanon, and a third member, were killed in the attack. The group has not played a significant role in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

An official with Lebanon's Civil Defense had earlier said that a member of the al-Jamaa al-Islamiya was killed in the strike and that 16 other people were wounded, but the Sunni militant group, which fights alongside Hezbollah, has not confirmed the death.

Hezbollah'sdeputy leader vows to fight on

Hezbollah's acting leader Naim Kassem vowed Monday to continue battling Israel and said the militant group was prepared for a long fight even after much of its top command was wiped out, including its leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Israeli strikes have killed Nasrallah and six of his top commanders and officials in the last 10 days, and have hit what the military says are thousands of militant targets across large parts of Lebanon. Kassem said the killed commanders have been replaced. Over 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon in the past two weeks, according to the Health Ministry.

Houthi's shoot down another US-made drone

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed Monday they shot down another American-made MQ-9 Reaper drone over the country, with videos purportedly showing a surface-to-air missile striking it. The US military did not immediately acknowledge losing any aircraft.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever