At least 22 killed in airstrikes in central Beirut, with Israel also firing on UN peacekeepers

BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli airstrikes on central Beirut on Thursday left two neighborhoods smoldering, killed 22 people and wounded dozens, Lebanon’s health ministry said, as well as further escalating Israel’s bloody conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

The air raid on central Beirut — the deadliest in over a year of war — apparently targeted two residential buildings in separate neighborhoods simultaneously, according to an AP photographer at the scene. It brought down one apartment building and wiped out the lower floors of the other.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the reported strikes. Israeli airstrikes have been far more common in Beirut’s tightly packed southern suburbs, where Hezbollah bases many of its operations.

After the strikes, Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported that an attempt to kill Wafiq Safa, a top security official with the group, had failed. It said that Safa had not been inside of either of the targeted buildings.

Thursday's strikes followed a year of tit-for-tat exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel that boiled over into all-out war in recent weeks, with Israel carrying out waves of heavy airstrikes across Lebanon and launching a ground invasion. Hezbollah has expanded its rocket fire to more populated areas deeper inside Israel, causing few casualties but disrupting daily life.

The attack came the same day Israeli forces fired on United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon and wounded two of them, drawing widespread condemnation and prompting Italy's Defense Ministry to summon Israel’s ambassador in protest.

Witnesses reported a large number of ambulances and people gathering in the rubble of two Beirut sites that were hit, in the Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood and Burj Abi Haidar area.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said 22 people were killed and 117 others wounded, without elaborating on their identities. Recent Israeli airstrikes in neighborhoods adjoining Beirut, in particular the densely populated southern suburbs, have killed Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and other senior commanders.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, in support of Hamas and the Palestinians, drawing Israeli airstrikes in retaliation.

Hezbollah kept up rocket fire into Israel on Thursday, setting off air raid sirens in parts of northern Israel. Several drones heading toward Israel were intercepted, the military said.

Iran — which supports Hamas, Hezbollah and other armed groups across the region — launched some 180 ballistic missiles at Israel last week in retaliation for the killing of top Hamas and Hezbollah militants.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Wednesday that its response to the Iranian missile attack will be “lethal” and “surprising,” without providing further details, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with President Joe Biden.

Asked about the latest airstrikes in Lebanon, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters in Las Vegas, “We have got to reach a cease-fire, both as it relates to what’s happening in Lebanon, and of course Gaza. We are working around the clock in that regard, but we need these wars to end and we’ve got to definitely de-escalate what is happening in the region.”

Before the latest strikes, Lebanon’s crisis response unit said Israeli attacks over the past day had killed 28 people, bringing the total to 2,169 killed in Lebanon since the war erupted last October.

Hezbollah attacks have killed 28 civilians as well as 39 Israeli soldiers, both in northern Israel since October 2023 and southern Lebanon since Israel launched its ground invasion on Sept. 30. Israel says the invasion, so far focused on a narrow strip along the border, aims to push militants back so that tens of thousands of Israelis can return to their homes in the north.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said in a statement that its headquarters and positions “have been repeatedly hit" by Israeli forces.

It said an Israeli tank “directly” fired on an observation tower at the force’s headquarters in the town of Naqoura, Lebanon, and that soldiers had attacked a bunker near where peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging vehicles and a communication system. It said an Israeli drone was seen flying to the bunker’s entrance.

The two UNIFIL troops wounded in the attacks and hospitalized are Indonesian, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.

The Israeli military acknowledged opening fire at a U.N. base in southern Lebanon on Thursday and said it had ordered the peacekeepers to “remain in protected spaces.”

Later Thursday, the U.N. peacekeeping chief said 300 peacekeepers in frontline positions on southern Lebanon’s border have been temporarily moved to larger bases, and plans to move another 200 will depend on security conditions as the conflict escalates. Jean-Pierre Lacroix told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that peacekeepers with UNIFIL are staying in their positions, but because of air and ground attacks they cannot conduct patrols.

UNIFIL, which has more than 10,000 peacekeepers from dozens of countries, was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel’s 1978 invasion. The United Nations expanded its mission following the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, allowing peacekeepers to patrol a buffer zone set up along the border.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of establishing militant infrastructure along the border in violation of the U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 war.

The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, sharply condemned Israeli strikes that hit UNIFIL positions as “an inadmissible act, for which there is no justification.”

From Italy, which has about 1,000 soldiers deployed as part of UNIFIL, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto went further, claimed Israel deliberately targeted the UNIFIL base in southern Lebanon in strikes that “could constitute war crimes.”

Several other countries, including France, Spain and Jordan, also denounced the Israeli attacks.

Even as attention has shifted to Israel’s close combat with Hezbollah in Lebanon and rising tensions with Iran, Israel has continued to strike at what it says are Palestinian militant targets across the Gaza Strip.

Earlier on Thursday, an Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced people in central Gaza killed at least 27 people, Palestinian medical officials said. The Israeli military said it targeted Palestinian militants, but people sheltering there said the strike hit a meeting of aid workers.

The dead included a child and seven women, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the bodies were brought. An Associated Press reporter saw ambulances streaming into the hospital and counted the bodies, many of which arrived in pieces.

The Israeli military said it targeted a militant center inside the school, without providing evidence. Israel has repeatedly attacked schools that were turned into shelters in Gaza, accusing militants of taking cover in them.

“There were no militants. There was no Hamas,” said Iftikhar Hamouda, who had fled from northern Gaza earlier in the war.

“We headed to tents. They bombed the tents ... In the streets, they bombed us. In the markets, they bombed us. In the schools, they bombed us,” she said. “Where should we go?”

Israel's offensive in Gaza started after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, when militants stormed into Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 others.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not specify between militants and civilians. The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of 2.3 million people, often multiple times.

This story has been edited to remove a description of the apartment building brought down in Beirut as “eight-story.” It's not clear how many stories the building had.

Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Magdy reported from Cairo. Edith Lederer contributed from New York and Darlene Superville from Las Vegas.

Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.

Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

People gather in front of buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Soldiers stand guard under a building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Damage litters the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Emergency workers rescue an elderly man from a damaged building hit by an Israeli airstrike at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A rescue worker searches for survivors inside a damaged building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Paramedics and rescue workers work at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Debris and damage surround the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

People carry a body at the scene of destroyed buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A man uses his mobile phone as flames and smoke rise at the scene of buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Palestinians search for the remains of their relatives killed in an Israeli bombardment of a school in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians search for the remains of their relatives killed in an Israeli bombardment of a school in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians search for the bodies of their relatives killed in an Israeli bombardment of a school in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

People gather in front of destroyed buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People gather in front of destroyed buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People carry a body at the scene of destroyed buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Rescue workers standing on a crane check a destroyed building hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Flames and smoke rise at the scene of destroyed buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People gather in front of destroyed buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People carry a body at the scene of destroyed buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Rescue workers on a crane check a destroyed building hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Hundreds of people, mostly Turkish citizens, rest on board a Turkish military ship evacuating them from Lebanon to Turkey, in Beirut port, on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Palestinians inspect the damage of a school hit by an Israeli bombardment on Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the damage of a school hit by an Israeli bombardment on Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians search for the remains of their relatives killed in an Israeli bombardment of a school in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians search for the bodies of their relatives killed in an Israeli bombardment of a school in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians search for the bodies of their relatives killed in an Israeli bombardment of a school in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israeli firefighting planes fly over smoke from a fire after a rocket, fired from Lebanon, hit the area near Hatzor Haglilit, northern Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Two Turkish military ships sail in the Mediterranean Sea, heading from the port of Mersin, Turkey, to the port of Beirut to deliver human aid and evacuate Turkish citizens from Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Turkish citizens carry their cats as they wait to board a Turkish navy vessel to be evacuated to Turkey at a gathering point, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Turkish security officials stand guard next to Turkish military ships preparing to evacuate citizens from Lebanon to Turkey in Beirut port, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Turkish citizens walk to board Turkish military ships evacuating them from Lebanon to Turkey, in Beirut port on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Turkish citizens walk to board Turkish military ships evacuating them from Lebanon to Turkey, in Beirut port on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

People, mostly Turkish citizens, rest on board of a Turkish military ship evacuating them from Lebanon to Turkey, in Beirut port, on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

A Palestinian man carries an injured child after an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Bodies of Palestinians killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip are brought to the hospital morgue in Deir al-Balah on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian child wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip is treated at a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Tents are crammed together as displaced Palestinians camp along the beach of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mark Stone had a goal and two assists and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Seattle Kraken 6-2 on Saturday night.

After falling behind 1-0 less than three minutes into the game, the Golden Knights scored three unanswered goals in the first period and never relinquished the lead.

After Keegan Kolesar tied the game at 1-all, Brett Howden took Jack Eichel’s pass from behind the net and beat Philipp Grubauer at the doorstep to give Vegas a one-goal edge. Nic Hague's goal later in the period put Vegas up, 3-1.

William Karlsson and Noah Hanifin also added goals in the third and Ilya Samsonov stopped 21 shots to improve to 8-3-1. Eichel finished with two assists.

Vince Dunn and Jaden Schwartz scored for Seattle while Grubauer made 29 saves and fell to 3-10-0.

Kraken: Center Chandler Stephenson made his first return to Vegas since signing with Seattle as a free agent during the offseason. Stephenson is the only NHL player to hoist the Stanley Cup twice in Vegas, winning inside T-Mobile Arena with Washington in 2018, and again with the Knights in 2023.

Golden Knights: Vegas has won three straight and seven of eight in December. With the win, the Knights (47) are now four points in front of Los Angeles (43) in the Pacific Division and two points shy of Western Conference-leading Winnipeg (49).

Trailing 1-0, Kolesar took a cross-ice pass from Victor Olofsson that led him perfectly on a breakaway. Kolesar’s snipe over Grubauer’s glove gave him his career-high eighth goal of the season.

Seattle is now 1-17-1 when trailing after two periods while Vegas improved to 12-1-0 when leading after the first 40 minutes.

The Knights host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night. The Kraken visit the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

Vegas Golden Knights centers Brett Howden (21) and Jack Eichel (9) celebrate after Howden's goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde (37) and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin (15) battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) and right wing Cole Schwindt (22) celebrate after Kolesar's goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde shoots against Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Seattle Kraken center Chandler Stephenson (9) shoots against Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov (35) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)