Early Thursday, Israeli airstrikes targeted the Lebanese capital, killing at least six people and injuring seven, as Israel responded to a surge in hostilities with the Iran-backed Hezbollah. This marks one of the closest strikes to downtown Beirut, hitting a building in the Bachoura district, near Lebanon’s parliament. The strike was part of a larger campaign following what Israel described as its deadliest day on the Lebanese front in a year.

Witnesses reported hearing a massive explosion, and images circulating online showed a heavily damaged building on fire. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon, expressed concerns on social media about the rising tensions, stating, “Another sleepless night in Beirut... Anxiety and fear are omnipresent.”

Israeli forces continued their operations in Lebanon, with airstrikes also hitting Hezbollah strongholds in Dahiyeh. The strikes follow the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week, adding to the intensifying violence in the region.

The conflict escalated on Wednesday, with Iran launching its largest missile barrage yet on Israel, prompting retaliatory strikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed continued military action against what he termed "Iran's Axis of Evil." He declared Israel would "stand together and with God's help, we will win together."

Hezbollah has reported ground clashes with Israeli troops along the southern Lebanese border, while Israel claims to have destroyed tunnels and other Hezbollah infrastructure. Lebanese officials report that over 1,900 people have been killed and more than 9,000 wounded in nearly a year of cross-border fighting, most of these casualties occurring in recent weeks.

International efforts to de-escalate the situation have intensified. U.S. President Joe Biden has urged Israel to act "proportionally" but refrained from supporting any Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites. Meanwhile, China has called on the U.N. Security Council to take immediate steps to prevent a broader Middle East conflict.

With at least 1.2 million Lebanese citizens displaced and continued Israeli evacuations near the border, the threat of wider regional conflict looms large. As Israeli troops continue their operations in Lebanon and Gaza, the death toll on both sides continues to rise, raising global concerns over the potential for further escalation.