Israeli airstrike kills 16 in central Beirut; Hezbollah denies being target

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- A powerful Israeli airstrike flattened a residential building in central Beirut early Saturday, killing at least 16 people and wounding 63 others, while a Hezbollah official denied it targeted a senior commander with the militant group.

The eight-story building on Fathallah Street in the densely populated neighborhood of Basta was targeted about 4 a.m. Beirut time by at least three missiles, bringing it down and badly damaging surrounding buildings.

Large explosions were heard across Beirut, and videos then circulated on social media that showed a huge cloud of smoke billowing over the targeted area.

Lebanese media reports said bunker-busting bombs were used in the attack that allegedly targeted a top Hezbollah officials.

Hezbollah deputy in the parliament, Amin Sherri, denied media reports that the group's senior commander, Mohammad Haidar, was the target of the Israeli attack, saying no one from Hezbollah was in the building.

Haidar, a former deputy in parliament and member of Hezbollah's Jihad Council, was a senior adviser to the group's assassinated leader Hassan Nasrallah. According to the Israeli Army, he took charge of the military operations after the killings of Hezbollah military commanders.

"There was no party personality or even a civilian one present there," Shirri told reporters while inspecting the targeted area. "This is meant to terrorize the people -- the displaced [who had sought refuge in the area] and the residents ... and also to create a rift between them."

Hezbollah's Al Manar website reported that two eight story buildings were destroyed in the airstrike that caused three deep craters. Surrounding buildings and cars were badly damaged.

Ambulances and rescue teams rushed to the scene to evacuate the casualties and pull survivors from under the rubble.

The Health Ministry counted 11 killed and 63 wounded, and said that the death casualty toll would be updated after DNA tests are completed on remains collected on the site. Civil defense sources said the rescue teams have so far pulled out 16 bodies.

This is the second time in a month that an Israeli strike targeted the Basta area.

The Hezbollah parliamentarian, Shirri, said that Israel has carried out eight strikes on areas in central Beirut during the past month, "none of them include military targets ... all civilians."

"This is the enemy's methodology -- more killing and destruction," he said, emphasizing that the "real confrontation is in southern Lebanon," where Hezbollah fighters are engaged in fierce battles with advancing Israeli forces that reached the town of Khiyam in the Nabatiyeh district.

Shirri emphasized that Israel will not achieve its "goals of destroying Hezbollah and returning its settlers to northern Israel" with Hezbollah "fighting to the last breath."

Two of Hezbollah's top officials were targeted in the Israeli strikes on Beirut. Mohammad Afif, who was in charge of Hezbollah's media relations, and four of his team were killed on Nov. 17 while the head of the group's Liaison and Coordination Unit Wafiq Safa was reportedly severely wounded when he was targeted on Oct. 10.

Hours after, various areas in Beirut's southern suburbs were hit after Israel issued warnings to the remaining residents to evacuate, destroying more buildings allegedly used by Hezbollah.

On Thursday, Israel resumed its attacks on Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs after a short lull that accompanied the visit of U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein to Beirut during which he discussed a draft proposal to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israel's Ynet website quoted Saturday evening Israeli officials as saying that there was "a good chance" a settlement in Lebanon "will be finalized next week."

Also Saturday, Israel bombed several areas in southern Lebanon, including the port city of Tyre, as well as in the Baalbeck-Hermel district in eastern Lebanon.

Some 40 people, including a woman and four children, were killed and 77 wounded in both regions

A total of 3,645 people have been killed and 15,355 injured in Israeli attacks since October 2003, according to the latest count by the Health Ministry.