Beirut, Sep 30 (EFE).- An early Monday morning Israeli bombing targeted a residential building in the Cola neighborhood of Beirut, in the first airstrike against the Lebanese capital since the start of hostilities between Shiite group Hezbollah and Israel almost a year ago, local media reported.
The bombing targeted a building in this predominantly Sunni Muslim neighborhood of the Lebanese capital. The city until now had not been the target of Israel’s massive airstrike campaign, which has on different occasions targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut known as Dahye, a Hezbollah stronghold.
Lebanese media said the attack was aimed at suspected members of the Lebanese Sunni group Jamaa al-Islamiya, an ally of Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and accused by Israel of participating in the outbreak of violence against its army from southern Lebanon.
Also, witnesses consulted by local media said a strong explosion was heard in the Cola neighborhood, where a column of smoke rose visible from other areas of the capital.
Israeli forces have not yet commented on the incident, which local press said caused deaths and has set off all alarms at a time when the country is still holding its breath after the death of Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah in a Friday Israeli bombing in Dahye.
Until now, Israel had only bombed the southern suburbs of Beirut on several occasions in the last year.
Israel continued its intense bombing campaign Sunday, which began a week ago against Hezbollah’s main strongholds in southern and eastern Lebanon, but also in Dahye and other areas further north of the capital that until recently had not been a target of Israeli attacks.
On Sunday alone, at least 105 people died in an intense day of Israeli bombing, which in just over a week has left more than a thousand dead and more than 6,000 wounded, according to the Lebanese government.
This has caused about 1 million people to leave their homes in recent days, according to Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who on Sunday said his government has been asking for a truce in Gaza and Lebanon for “seven or eight months.” EFE
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