Beirut building collapses amid fresh Israeli strikes in capital city's centre

Israeli forces have conducted intense strikes in Beirut, Lebanon, resulting in significant destruction and casualties. The latest attacks, which occurred in the city’s southern suburbs and central areas, have led to at least a dozen deaths, raising the total number of fatalities since early March to at least 900. Reports indicate that earlier strikes on apartment buildings in the Zuqaq al-Blat and Al-Basta neighborhoods killed at least six people and injured 24 others, according to Lebanese authorities. A loud explosion was also reported in the Bachoura neighborhood following an Israeli strike on a building, which occurred shortly after the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for the area. In addition to the strikes in Beirut, an Israeli air strike early on Wednesday targeted a four-storey residential building in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, resulting in several deaths and injuries. The Israeli military has stated that it is conducting ground operations in southern Lebanon, aiming to target key locations to expand its forward defense zones amid ongoing hostilities with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese group. The situation has prompted the UN refugee agency to declare a "major humanitarian emergency" in West Asia. As tensions escalate, Iran has threatened to retaliate against Gulf energy facilities following an Israeli attack on its offshore gasfield, which has been criticized by a Qatar foreign ministry spokesman as a "dangerous, irresponsible step." The ongoing conflict and military actions have created a precarious humanitarian situation in the region.