12 de marzo de 2026
8 Dead Following Israeli Strike on Beirut Waterfront, Worst Attack in Lebanon’s Capital
The Lebanese Health Ministry’s Emergency Operations Center reported that the death toll from an Israeli strike in Beirut’s Ramlet al Bayda area has risen to eight, with 31 injured, following an attack early Thursday, March 12, 2026, targeting a beach area sheltering displaced persons. The escalating violence underscores the growing humanitarian and economic risks in the region.
This marks the most severe attack on Lebanon’s capital since Israel launched its aerial offensive more than ten days ago, coinciding with increased rocket fire from Hezbollah, backed by Iran, into Israel. The attacks are raising concerns about a potential wider regional conflict.
An AFP correspondent at the scene observed damage to a motorcycle and two cars, with the area cordoned off by security forces. Bloodstains were visible on the pavement, along with a small crater in the ground.
“We saw dead bodies on the ground,” stated Aseel Habbaj, a displaced woman who had sought refuge in a nearby tent after fleeing Israeli bombing in other parts of Lebanon. “We were all sleeping in my tent when suddenly we heard a noise,” Habbaj told AFP. “We jumped up and went to see what happened,” before a second strike injured her husband.
Her neighbor, Dalal al-Sayed, 40, explained she chose to camp by the sea after fleeing attacks in southern Lebanon “because the last thing we expected was for Israel to attack Beirut.” Her family could not afford to rent apartments, she said. “We will not leave, we will stay here even if we die,” she added.
The waterfront attack was the third to hit the heart of the capital since the start of the conflict in the Middle East. Displaced individuals have been sleeping outdoors or in tents on the streets of Beirut, including in the coastal area of Ramlet al Bayda, where some shelters were hit by shrapnel from Thursday’s attack, according to the AFP correspondent. The situation highlights the strain on Lebanon’s already fragile infrastructure.
Israel has also repeatedly targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, where the Israeli military stated on Thursday it had struck 10 Hezbollah targets. Also on Thursday, attacks on Aramoun, a residential area south of Beirut and outside of Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds, killed three people and injured a child, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
rml (efe, afp)
