Over A Dozen Killed In Israeli Strikes Near One Of Beirut's Main Hospitals

Beirut, Lebanon: Israeli airstrikes in and around Beirut caused significant damage to the country's largest public hospital and killed more than a dozen people, Lebanese health officials said, as Hezbollah retaliated with rocket attacks into central Israel hours before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the region.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said that 57 others were wounded in airstrikes late Monday that destroyed several buildings facing the Rafik Hariri University Hospital, located on the outskirts of southern Beirut.

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike targeting Beirut's southern suburb of Shayah on October 22, 2024. Photo by Fadel ITANI / AFP.

The Israeli military said it struck a Hezbollah target, without elaborating.

The State Department said Blinken would focus on ending the war in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to annihilate Hamas and recover dozens of hostages held by the group.

Hamas says it will only release the captives in return for a lasting cease-fire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of thousands of Palestinian people Israel holds with no trials.

Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities, numbers which the UN sees trustworthy.

The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people, half of which are children.

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