4 dead in Israeli airstrike on building in Beirut, Lebanon, first attack within city limits

ISRAEL-HIZBOLLAH WAR – RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

• Sirens could be heard in several cities in northern Israel on Sunday evening, including the Western Galilee and Haifa.

  The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the sirens were triggered by a single missile fired from Lebanon, which was successfully intercepted by the air defense system.

  Attempts to intercept the sirens and fear of falling shrapnel triggered the sirens in several cities, the IDF was quoted as saying The Times of Israel.

• Israel also launched attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen on Sunday, leaving at least four people dead.

  Dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, power plants and a seaport at the ports of Ras Issa and Hodeidah in Yemen, were targeted by the airstrikes, according to an IDF statement.

  Israeli forces have launched airstrikes on Iran-backed militias in the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

• The Israeli attacks on the Houthis came after the group fired rockets and drones at Israel over the past two days in “solidarity with the Palestinians.”

  After the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, the Houthis intensified their attacks on Israel.

• Israel killed Nasrallah in a “precise airstrike” on September 27 while Hezbollah’s leadership was meeting at its headquarters in Dahiyeh, southern Beirut.

  Six people were killed and over 90 injured in the strikes, which leveled six apartments and shook buildings within a 30-kilometer radius, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

  More than 80 bombs were reportedly dropped by the IDF over a period of several minutes in an attempt to kill Nasrallah.

• Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in a speech that he had “no choice but the diplomatic option” to end Israel’s aggression.

  Israel’s actions in Lebanon have intensified in the past two weeks, with Beirut confirming more than 1,000 deaths in the attacks.

• The US has pushed for a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Lebanon. However, it also authorized its military to provide reinforcements in the region.

  Asked whether an all-out war in the Middle East could be avoided, US President Joe Biden said: “It must be.” He said he would speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Reuters said.