Israeli airstrike kills hospital chief, six doctors in Lebanon

Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli airstrike on Friday killed the director of Dar al-Amal hospital in the east of the country near Baalbek and six of his colleagues.

A ministry statement announced the "loss of Dr Ali Rakan Allam, director of Dar al-Amal university hospital, and six colleagues in a cowardly Israeli attack which targeted his residence near the hospital". It also denounced "continual Israeli aggression against medical staff and facilities".

Meanwhile, five Israeli missiles struck a residential building in the heart of Beirut on Saturday, Lebanese state media reported.

"Beirut, the capital, woke up to a horrific massacre, as the Israeli enemy's air force completely destroyed an eight-story residential building with five missiles on Al-Mamoun Street in the Basta area," the National News Agency reported. AFP journalists heard at least three large explosions.

Earlier, at least three new night-time strikes targeted the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital Beirut late Friday into early Saturday, images from AFP and state media showed.

"Enemy military planes have targeted the southern suburb of Beirut by carrying out a strike near Ghobeiry," said national news agency Ani.

The first of the strikes landed just before midnight (2200 GMT). AFP journalists in central Beirut and east of the city heard at least three explosions, one more violent than the others.

Columns of smoke could be seen rising in at least two separate places over the district, AFPTV images showed. The area has been regularly bombed by Israel.

Earlier Friday, air strikes on south Beirut demolished an 11-storey building, as Israel kept up its bombardment of strongholds of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The Lebanese health ministry said Israeli strikes in the south of the country killed five Hezbollah-affiliated paramedics.

11-storey building toppled

Air strikes hit south Beirut on Friday, crumpling an 11-storey building, as Israel kept up its deadly bombardment of strongholds of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The Lebanese health ministry said Israeli strikes in the south of the country killed five Hezbollah-affiliated paramedics.

The World Health Organization said 226 health workers and patients have been killed in Lebanon since Israel and Hezbollah began exchanging fire in October last year.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said Israeli warplanes carried out successive rounds of strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs from early morning until evening, including on two buildings closer to the city centre.

AFPTV footage showed plumes of smoke over the southern suburbs.

NNA said Israeli strikes also hit multiple targets in south Lebanon, after the Israeli military issued warnings for part of the coastal city of Tyre and other areas.

The Israeli military said the air force struck Hezbollah targets around Tyre "including command centres, intelligence infrastructure, weapons storage facilities" and an observation post, and "completed a series of strikes on Hezbollah terrorist command centres" in south Beirut.

An AFP photographer captured the moment a missile struck an 11-storey building housing shops, a gym and apartments on a usually busy street in south Beirut's Shiyah district.

The impact sparked a fireball and caused the structure to collapse in on itself, littering the street with debris.

In south Lebanon, NNA said Israeli troops entered the village of Deir Mimas, around 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) from the border, for the first time.

"Enemy reconnaissance aircraft" were flying over the village, warning people "not to leave their homes", it said. Most of the village's population had already fled.

Hezbollah said its fighters targeted Israeli soldiers around Deir Mimas with rockets and artillery.

The Israeli army has been seeking to advance at several points along the border, most prominently in the town of Khiam, where Hezbollah said it repeatedly attacked troops on Friday.

More than 11 months of cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah over the Gaza conflict escalated into full-scale war in September, with Israel conducting an intensive bombing campaign, primarily targeting Hezbollah strongholds, and sending ground troops into southern Lebanon.