WATCH: Lebanese tower block demolished by Israeli rocket

The brutality of Israel‘s bombardment of targets in Lebanon was brought into sharp focus today as horrified onlookers captured the moment an IDF rocket utterly demolished an apartment block in a Beirut suburb.

Crystal-clear footage showed the projectile soaring through the blue skies above the Lebanese capital before spiking down and impacting the foot of the building that appeared to be at least 10 storeys high. 

A punishing blast erupted from the lower floors of the building, shaking the earth and sending chunks of rubble and shrapnel raining down on fleeing bystanders.

But moments later the entire structure trembled before collapsing in on itself,  tumbling to the ground in a catastrophic implosion akin to a perfectly executed controlled demolition. 

Close-up images of the building a split second before impact clearly showed the rocket streaking past balcony windows where residents had hung clothes and sheets out to dry. 

The horrific scene reportedly unfolded in the Beirut suburb of Shayah, with rescuers now searching the scene for survivors – though dozens are expected to have perished in the attack. 

A picture taken from a neighbouring building shortly after the strike showed how the apartment block was reduced to a pile of smouldering debris.  

It is the latest example of Israel’s destructive war against Hezbollah, with the Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducting incessant strikes from above while IDF troops conduct ground operations in villages close to the border. 

Today’s strike that levelled the apartment block came just 40 minutes after Israeli military Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued a warning, claiming the structure contained ‘Hezbollah facilities’.

The now eradicated block stood in a heavily trafficked area across the street from a large park, which has become a refuge for many displaced families. 

The past 24 hours have seen the IDF further ratchet up the intensity of its strikes, blasting targets near a south Beirut hospital and killing 13 people, including a child, late last night.

Another 57 people were wounded in the attack near the Rafic Hariri Hospital, Lebanon’s biggest public health facility, located a few kilometres from the city centre, the health ministry said.

Rescuers were still searching for survivors this morning amid fears that the toll may rise further.

There was no evacuation warning for the area around the hospital, which is densely populated and has seen an influx of people displaced from areas further south.

The Israeli military said it struck a Hezbollah target, without elaborating, and that it had not targeted the hospital itself. 

Health facilities in Lebanon have come into focus after Israel on Monday accused Hezbollah of storing money in a bunker under the Sahel hospital in Beirut’s southern suburbs – a charge the facility’s head denied.

Journalists were invited to tour the hospital on Tuesday as calls mounted for the protection of medical facilities in Lebanon.

The Sahel hospital is less than two kilometres away from the Rafic Hariri facility, and both have treated casualties of Israel’s strikes.

In addition to the lethal strikes in and around medical infrastructure, Israel’s military has in recent days bombed what it says are banks and financial institutions utilised by Hezbollah. 

One particular attack on branches of the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association – a financial institution operating with a licence from the Lebanese government that Israel claims is closely linked with Hezbollah – prompted human rights group Amnesty International to call for a war crimes investigation. 

Amnesty said today that the attacks 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.

Many Lebanese citizens keep their savings at the financial institution. 

‘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.

Nearly a month of war between Israel and Hezbollah has killed at least 1,489 people in Lebanon, according to a tally of Lebanese health ministry figures, and displaced more than a million others.

Israel’s recent bombardments of Beirut and other targets across Lebanon come as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived for his eleventh visit to the region since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.

Blinken hopes to revive ceasefire efforts after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli troops in Gaza last week in what has been called a ‘chance encounter ‘with the Hamas leader.

The State Department said Blinken would focus on ending the war in Gaza, securing the release of hostages held by Hamas and alleviating the suffering of Palestinian civilians. 

He is also expected to discuss Israel’s ongoing attacks on Hezbollah and its expected retaliation against Iran in exchange for an October 1 ballistic missile strike. 

Blinken landed in Tel Aviv only hours after the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into central Israel, setting off air raid sirens in the country’s most populated areas and close to its international airport.

The Israeli military said it intercepted most of the five projectiles, with one landing in an open area. Another 15 projectiles were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel at around the same time.

Blinken’s arrival in Israel this morning came after Hezbollah claimed a drone attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin’s home late last week.

‘Hezbollah takes the full and sole responsibility for targeting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s house,’ Mohammad Afif, the head of the militant group’ media office, told a press conference in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Israel said a drone smashed into a building during an attack on Netanyahu’s holiday home in Caesarea on Saturday. 

Netanyahu was not there at the time, and the government reported no injuries.

The Israeli premier described it as an assassination attempt by ‘Iran‘s proxy Hezbollah’ and called it a ‘grave mistake’

Hezbollah said today that there would be no negotiations while fighting continues, and held Israel responsible for the wellbeing of the group’s fighters who had been captured.

Saturday’s drone attack in the town of Caesarea was the first known attempt on the life of Netanyahu since the war began, and came days after Hamas’ leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in Gaza.

Netanyahu warned in the wake of the attack that ‘the agents of Iran’ he attributed the attack to had ‘made a bitter mistake’.

‘This will not deter me and the State of Israel from continuing the war of revival against our enemies to ensure our security for generations,’ he said. 

Israel’s foreign minister Israel Katz said at the time the attack had shown the ‘true face’ of Iran, which has provided support to Hezbollah.

‘The Iranian proxies who attempted to assassinate Prime Minister Netanyahu and his family today have once again exposed Iran’s true face and the evil axis it leads,’ he wrote on Saturday.

The Gaza war began after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities on October 7 last year, killing around 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s subsequent bombardment of Gaza has killed 42,718 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities say.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to annihilate Hamas and recover dozens of hostages held by the group. 

Hamas meanwhile says it will only release the captives in return for a lasting cease-fire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners. 

Hezbollah, primarily based out of southern Lebanon, has been trading fire with Israel since October 8 in support of Hamas‘ war effort.