Israel Attacks Beirut Hotel in Lebanon, Claims It Targeted an IRGC Commander

Israel carried out an air strike on a hotel in central Beirut, Lebanon. The strike killed four people and wounded ten others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, which said the attack targeted ‘a hotel room’ in the city centre. Meanwhile, the Israeli military had previously announced it was launching a fresh wave of strikes across Beirut, saying it targeted the southern outskirts of the capital, a Hizbullah stronghold.

In a separate statement, Israeli forces said they had conducted a ‘precision strike’ in Beirut, claiming to have targeted a ‘key commander’ from the IRGC’s Lebanon operations, the overseas wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The statement did not specify the exact location but accused the unnamed commanders of planning ‘terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and its civilians’.

“Israel will continue to eliminate the commanders of the Iranian regime of terror wherever they operate,” the Israeli military said.

AFP photographers who witnessed the seaside hotel being hit described a room on the fourth floor with shattered glass and burnt walls as security forces cordoned off the area. The Raouché area where the hotel is located is a major tourist destination and had largely escaped Israeli strikes during the Israel–Hizbullah conflict, which ended with a ceasefire in November 2024.

Dozens of guests fled the hotel in a panic with their belongings as ambulances rushed to the scene. Two witnesses reported hearing a loud blast before emergency crews arrived.

Lebanon has found itself drawn into the Middle East conflict, as Iran-backed Hizbullah attacked Israel in response to the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during joint US–Israel strikes. Meanwhile, Israel has continued to strike Hizbullah targets despite the 2024 ceasefire, launching several waves of strikes across Lebanon this week and sending ground troops to the border area.