Five hospitals have been put on high alert to take in casualties from the blast after what appeared to be two separate strikes.

Residents of the central Beirut area hit by a deadly Israeli airstrike were still in shock on Friday amid the dust, rubble and broken glass, fearing that if their previously untargeted neighbourhood had been struck,

The Israeli strikes were the deadliest on the city since Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched its first rocket attacks on northern Israel.