Beirut Strike: Israeli Missile Hits Ramada Hotel Complex, 4 Dead

At least four people were killed and ten others injured after an Israeli airstrike struck an apartment inside the Ramada hotel building in central Beirut early Sunday. The attack took place in the Raouche district, a normally busy seafront area that has recently been sheltering families displaced by fighting in southern Lebanon.

The strike marked the first time Israel has targeted central Beirut since hostilities with Hezbollah escalated again last week. According to Lebanese health authorities, emergency teams rushed to the scene shortly after the blast, treating injured civilians and clearing debris from the damaged section of the building.

Witnesses reported that the missile struck a corner suite on the fourth floor of the Ramada complex around 3:30 a.m. The impact shattered windows across several floors, blackened parts of the building's exterior and scattered debris across nearby balconies. Hotel guests and residents in surrounding buildings rushed outside in panic, fearing further attacks.

Israel said the strike was aimed at commanders of Iran's elite Quds Force who were allegedly operating in Beirut. The Israeli military claimed the targeted officials were involved in planning attacks against Israel and coordinating with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. However, Israel did not reveal the identities of those it believed were present at the location.

The Raouche neighbourhood had recently become a temporary refuge for families fleeing Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs. Several displaced residents were staying in the Ramada hotel at the time of the strike.

One resident, who had already fled his home earlier in the week, said his children were injured when the blast shattered glass inside their room. The family had moved to the area hoping to escape the violence but were again caught in the conflict.

The Beirut strike comes amid a broader escalation between Israel and Hezbollah after the Iran-backed group launched rockets and drones into Israel earlier this week. Since then, Israeli airstrikes have hit multiple locations across Lebanon.

Authorities say the expanding conflict has already caused hundreds of casualties across the country, raising fears that strikes could increasingly reach deeper into civilian neighbourhoods of Beirut as tensions continue to rise.