Five dead in Israeli air strike on central Beirut

strike on a building in central Beirut, Lebanese officials have said. The multi-storey block in Bachoura housed a Hezbollah-affiliated health centre, which Israel’s military said was hit in a “precision” attack.

This is the first Israeli strike close to Beirut’s centre – just metres away from Lebanon’s parliament. There were five other air strikes overnight against targets in the southern suburb of Dahieh.

It comes after the Israel Defence Forces said eight soldiers had been killed in combat in southern Lebanon, its first losses since the start of ground operations against the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.