Shafaq News/ Lebanese Hezbollah announced early Thursday that its members targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers with artillery shells at the "Hanita" military site in northern Israel.
In its first statement of the day, the Lebanese party said, "In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in Gaza and in defense of Lebanon and its people, we targeted a gathering of the Israeli enemy's forces at the Hanita site with artillery shells and achieved an accurate hit."
Hezbollah confirmed in a second statement that its fighters “targeted movements of Israeli enemy forces in the Misgav Am settlement with a rocket barrage at 2:00 AM on Thursday, October 3, 2024, achieving a direct hit.”
On Wednesday, the Israeli army announced the deaths of eight soldiers, most of whom were from the Egoz unit, a special commando unit within the 98th Division, including officers. Additionally, seven others were injured, some in critical condition, during battles in southern Lebanon.
This news shocked Hebrew circles, especially as it followed the start of a ground invasion into Lebanon after several days of preliminary airstrikes targeting Hezbollah positions and leadership, including the assassination of Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
Continuation of Israeli Hostilities
Reports indicated that "Israeli warplanes targeted a second-floor apartment in a residential building in the Salim Salam - Bashoura area in the heart of the Lebanese capital, Beirut," leading to displacement from the Khandaq al-Ghamik area.
The strike ignited a fire in a multi-story residential building, close to key government institutions, including the prime minister’s office, parliament, and the United Nations headquarters.
The Israeli military claimed that the Bashoura building housed a Hezbollah-affiliated health center, justifying the strike as a "precision" attack on “terrorist infrastructure.”
In turn, the Islamic Health Authority announced that "the airstrike by the Israeli army in the Bashoura area targeted the civil defense center affiliated with the authority, resulting in both martyrs and injuries among its personnel."
Residents reported a sulfur-like smell following the airstrike, with Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency later accusing Israel of using internationally banned phosphorus bombs during the raid. Human rights organizations have previously accused Israel of deploying white phosphorus in southern Lebanon, raising concerns about the impact on civilians.
The assault has exacerbated the suffering of civilians, particularly those already displaced from southern towns and the southern suburbs (Dahyeh), adding to the mounting humanitarian crisis.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that six people were killed and seven others were injured in the Israeli strikes, which it stated “targeted a residential building in central Beirut.”
“The injured individuals are receiving treatment in the hospitals they were transferred to," it affirmed.
Before the overnight airstrikes in Beirut, the ministry reported that 46 people had been killed and 85 wounded in Israeli bombings over the past 24 hours, although it did not specify how many of the victims were civilians or combatants.