Beirut faces heavy bombardment; Israel launches major offensive in northern Gaza

The headlines this morning in Lebanon told us what had kept us up all night: “One of the toughest nights on Dahiya.”

For people outside Beirut; you wake up in the middle of night and you are no longer able to sleep. As for people in Beirut, they’re having sleepless nights. 

A local Lebanese TV channel, MTV, counted more than 30 strikes during the night over Dahiya, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, 7 of them within 1 minute, followed by strong explosions. In Beirut, it felt like an earthquake.

Rescuers from the Lebanese Civil Defense and ambulances said on local media this morning said that they were unable to enter parts of Dahiya, with the fires and smoke that from last night’s heavy bombing still raging.

Georges Mechleb, who works at the airport in the south of the city, near Dahiya, told NBC that he could not get to work this morning, Israeli airstrikes left large craters on the road to the airport.

The Israel Defense Forces has increased security ahead of the one-year anniversary of the deadly Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel, a spokesperson said.

“We are prepared with increased forces in the assumption that towards the anniversary, they will try to carry out attacks on the home front,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in reference to Hamas.

The Israel Defense Forces addressed action the country may take in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack this week.

The attack, which hit parts of the country and air force bases, did not result in any casualties, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said.

“The manner in which we will respond to the criminal attack will be in the manner, place and time we decide, in accordance with the guidance of the political echelon,” Hagari said in a statement.

Israel’s soldiers are continuing to fight in Lebanon “to destroy Hezbollah’s weapons and infrastructure in the villages,” he said, adding that the offensive has killed 440 militants, 30 of whom “were commanders of various ranks,” and destroyed more than 2,000 Hezbollah targets.

A man set himself on fire at a pro-Palestinian demonstration near the White House this evening, according to three eyewitnesses and video shared with NBC News.

The witnesses said the person made various pro-Palestinian exclamations as he set himself on fire. In witness video, fire can be seen on the man’s left arm before being extinguished with the help of surrounding bystanders.

Law enforcement monitored activity and remained at the periphery of the demonstration, which had been peaceful, and moved in once the man set himself on fire and a path was cleared for the ambulance that took him from the scene.

“We responded at 5:56pm for a call described as advanced life support injury,” D.C. Fire and EMS spokesperson Vito Maggiolo said. “The patient has been transported to an area trauma center.”

Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said the man’s injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

Witnesses told NBC News they smelled gasoline before seeing the man, who at some point shouted “Free Palestine,” set his arm on fire. The witness video shows law enforcement officers and bystanders quickly put the fire out with water and cloth.

A coalition of pro-Palestinian organizations based in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region held the demonstration with the moniker “One Year of Genocide, One Year of Resistance,” to mark one year since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and the subsequent Israel-Hamas war.

More than 20 large flashes were seen over Beirut last night, coloring the skies over Dahiyeh bright orange. The bombing continued all night in what is by far one of the heaviest — if not the heaviest — series of Israeli strikes on Beirut since this most recent conflict began.

A thick haze of white and grey smoke is wafting from the Dahyeh area, moving west towards Beirut’s Mediterranean coastline. Lights from homes in the mountains that overlook the southern suburbs, which normally dot the city’s skyline, have virtually all gone dark.

Booms from explosions were heard following the flashes. Between bombings, a Middle East Airlines flight landed at Hariri International Airport in Beirut.

Plumes of black smoke rose from the area where a strike hit. Buzzing Israeli drones were also heard circling over Dahiyeh, with more loud booms.

After two more large flashes, yet another big boom was heard, followed by a flight taking off from the airport seconds later.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was striking Hezbollah facilities and infrastructure.