Israeli airstrike levels building in southern Beirut suburb

Beirut: An Israeli airstrike levelled a building in the southern Beirut suburb of Beirut on Tuesday. The strike came 40 minutes after Israeli military Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued a warning, claiming the two buildings targeted contained “Hezbollah facilities”.

The building stood in a heavily trafficked area across the street from a large park, which has become a refuge for many displaced families. It is also not far from the French ambassador’s residence.

No immediate casualties were reported. The Israeli military did not have immediate comment about the target of the strike. At the time of the warning, Hezbollah’s chief spokesperson was holding a pre-scheduled press conference just a few hundred meters from the targeted area. The event was quickly cut short, with journalists and the spokesperson evacuating the location. The Israeli military did not have an immediate comment about the target of the strike.

Human rights group Amnesty International has criticized Israel’s targeting of branches of a Hezbollah-linked financial institution, saying the round of strikes this week “likely violates international humanitarian law”.

Amnesty said Tuesday the attack on al-Qard al-Hassan must be investigated as a war crime because financial institutions are considered civilian infrastructure under the laws of war unless they are being used for military purposes.

“Even if as the Israeli military alleges, the institution does provide financing to Hezbollah, it is not likely to meet the definition of a military objective, particularly for branches serving civilian customers,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty’s senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns.