Israel's surprise airstrike damage residential building in Beirut suburbs

In an escalation of tensions, Israel launched a surprise airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon early Tuesday -- its second bombardment of the area within a week -- resulting in casualties while damaging a residential building.

The sudden attack, targeting a multi-story apartment building in the Dahieh district, struck in the early hours of Tuesday morning without any prior evacuation warning to civilians. The blast's shockwave shattered windows of nearby vehicles, and the upper three floors of the building were blown out, with one side of the structure entirely collapsed.

Residents combed through the wreckage, discovering what are believed to be remnants of the missiles fired by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Witnesses recounted the terrifying moment of the attack.

"We were sitting outside just like during the past month of Ramadan. It was a warm night, and we were chatting. Then we heard two explosions that sound like missile strikes. People panicked because no one knew where the attack had hit or what it targeted. When the dust settled, we realized that the building across the street had been destroyed," said Hussein, a resident of the southern suburbs.

The full scale of the damage became more apparent on the other side of the building. A vehicle parked nearby had its glass shattered and roof crushed by falling debris. Personal belongings of the affected families were scattered across the ground.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, Tuesday's airstrike on the Dahieh area killed four people and wounded seven others. Unlike the previous Israeli airstrike on March 28, the IDF did not issue an evacuation order before its action. As a result, many victims were still asleep when the missiles struck.

"The attack came suddenly without any warning. As you can see, if you are familiar with the surrounding area, you'd know that this is a residential neighborhood. People were in their homes. The targets were clearly civilians," said Hussein.

On March 28, the Israeli military launched two missiles at a building in Hadath area, causing its complete destruction. Shortly after the attack, the Israel Defense Forces said it had targeted "a drone storage facility" belonging to Hezbollah near the Lebanese capital.

The strong airstrike was preceded by three warning strikes targeting the same building in Hadath, a densely populated area, after warnings were released by Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee.

The attacks occurred regardless of a ceasefire agreement reached between Hezbollah and Israel in November 2024, which brought an end to more than a year of hostilities triggered by the war in Gaza.

Despite the agreement, the Israeli military has occasionally launched strikes in Lebanon, claiming they targeted Hezbollah "threats."

Israel's surprise airstrike damage residential building in Beirut suburbs

Israel's surprise airstrike damage residential building in Beirut suburbs

Israel's surprise airstrike damage residential building in Beirut suburbs

Israel's surprise airstrike damage residential building in Beirut suburbs

As the diplomatic engagement between the United States and Iran continues despite a faltering ceasefire, a former commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said that Iran is prepared to use military power to break the U.S. maritime blockade should the negotiations collapse or run on too long.

Mohsen Rezaee, who also currently serves as a member of the Iranian Expediency Discernment Council, struck a confident tone about Iran's current trajectory in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Tehran on Wednesday.

He said the country has withstood over two decades of crippling sanctions and continued to move forward.

"We have been under sanctions for more than 20 years. The number of sanctions likely exceeds 2,000, targeting individuals, enterprises, corporations, ships, insurance companies, and even foreign countries that interacted with us. However, we have managed to find solutions to neutralize these sanctions, and we will continue to do so moving forward," he said.

He said Iran aims to ease the sanctions burden through talks with the U.S., although at the same time, he said, Iran is ready to shift to a military response if the path to a peaceful resolution closes.

"Furthermore, we will compel the U.S. to lift these sanctions. We will force the U.S. to end the maritime blockade -- either through negotiations or, should they resist, through direct action and we will attack U.S. warships. Therefore, despite all the pressures, the future of our economy is bright and promising, while the future of the US economy is bleak," he said.

While any new war against Iran would be a dead end, the best way out for the U.S. is to continue talks, according to the senior official.

"We have prepared ourselves so that if the maritime blockade continues beyond a certain timeframe, we will launch an attack and break the blockade. The Americans have no choice but to negotiate. Continuing this war is a journey into a very dark tunnel for the United States. The more America chooses to fight, the deeper it enters a tunnel with no end. Yet for us, the path is perfectly clear. America is moving toward us in the dark, while we are monitoring their every move," he said.

Former IRGC chief says Iran ready to break U.S. naval blockade by force if talks fail