Israel strikes Beirut after heavy attacks on central Gaza

The UN's special coordinator for Lebanon on Friday said the country's cultural heritage was being endangered by Israeli strikes on the ancient Lebanese cities of Tyre and Baalbek, home to UNESCO-designated Roman ruins.

"Ancient Phoenician cities steeped in history are in deep peril of being left in ruins," Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said in a social media post, adding that "Lebanon's cultural heritage must not become yet another casualty in this devastating conflict".

Read more about the threat facing Lebanon's ancient heritage here:

Fifty-five Palestinians were killed and 186 others injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza over the past day, the territory's health ministry said in a statement on Friday.

Since the war started last October, at least 43,259 Palestinians have been killed and 101,827 injured, with the death toll feared to be higher considering the number of people trapped under rubble.

The health ministry also said that three families were hit in Israeli attacks yesterday.

In a statement on Friday morning, Hezbollah said it fired rockets at a gathering of Israeli troops in Hay al Maslakh in southern Lebanon.

The Shia militia group said it fired "a large missile barrage" at around 4:30am local time on Friday.

The World Health Organisation is deeply concerned about rising attacks on health care workers and facilities in Lebanon, a WHO official said on Friday.

While 55 attacks have been verified, the actual number of incidents is likely to be significantly higher, Margaret Harris said at a UN briefing.

The official National News Agency on Friday reported an Israeli strike on the eastern city of Baalbek, following heavy air raids on the area in recent days.

Israeli "enemy aircraft launched a raid on the Zahraa neighbourhood in the city of Baalbek," home to ancient Roman ruins designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, NNA said.

Hezbollah announced that it had killed more than 95 Israeli soldiers and wounded more than 900 in fighting with the Israeli army since the outbreak of the ground invasion over a month ago.

The group also said it had destroyed 42 Israeli Merkava thanks, four bulldozers, two Hummer vehicles and various drones.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Friday criticised Israel's "expansion" of its attacks on his country, saying they indicated a rejection of efforts to broker a truce after more than a month of war.

"The Israeli enemy's renewed expansion of the scope of its aggression on Lebanese regions, its repeated threats to the population to evacuate entire cities and villages, and its renewed targeting of the southern suburbs of Beirut with destructive raids are all indicators that confirm the Israeli enemy's rejection of all efforts being made to secure a ceasefire," Mikati said.

Mikati's statement came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met visiting US officials to discuss a possible deal to end the war in Lebanon.

The Lebanese premier added that Israel's diplomatic behaviour suggested it was rejecting a ceasefire.

"Israeli statements and diplomatic signals that Lebanon received confirm Israel's stubbornness in rejecting the proposed solutions and insisting on the approach of killing and destruction," Mikati said in a statement.

A series of Israeli strikes targeted Dahiyeh in Beirut overnight, Lebanese media reported.

A number of "violent" strikes targeted several areas in the southern suburb including al-Ruwais, al-Ghobeiry, the Haret Hreik neighbourhood as well as areas near the Imam al-Mujtaba Complex, leading to what was described as "massive destruction" in Dahiyeh.

State news agency NNA reported that the strikes led to "dozens of buildings being flattened and fires breaking out".

Israel launched "12 violent strikes" on Dahiyeh in addition to strikes targeting various areas in southern and central Lebanon, Al-Mayadeen reported.

The strikes come following "six days of calm" in the capital and residents were only warned of the strikes "half an hour before".

Rocket attacks by Hezbollah targeting areas in northern Israel led to several Israeli casualties yesterday.

The missiles "caused nine deaths and a number of injuries" in the Galilee and Krayot area, north of the city of Haifa, according to Al-Mayadeen.

The report, citing Israeli media, said that the missiles launched from Lebanon "directly hit a gathering of soldiers in Metula".

Meanwhile, the website of the Israeli Channel 13 News reported that seven people were killed by Hezbollah rockets, including five in the northern town of Metula.

Israeli media said that the victims included a mother and son and other agricultural workers.

Central Gaza was hit by heavy airstrikes overnight Thursday which killed at least 47 people and wounded dozens more, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The city of Deir Al-Balah, the Nuseirat camp and the town of Al-Zawayda, were among those hit, WAFA said.

The Israeli military said on Friday it "eliminated several armed terrorists who were operating in the area," without providing evidence.

The Thai foreign ministry said four citizens were killed and one person injured by a rocket strike which hit near the Israeli border town of Metula.

The Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangyampongsa wrote on X on Friday that the four nationals, believed to be agricultural workers, were killed.

It is not the first time that foreign workers have been killed by rocket fire from Lebanon in the past few months.

Last year, 46 Thais were among the alleged 1,200 people reportedly killed by Hamas fighters during the 7 October attack, according to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Thirty Thai nationals were abducted and six are believed to still be in captivity, according to Thai authorities.