Verifying footage of strike in Beirut that produced massive explosionpublished at 11:21 British Summer Time 6 October 2024

11:21 BST 6 October 2024

By Emma Pengelly

Some more details about the Israeli strikes carried out on Beirut's southern suburbs overnight.

BBC Verify has been analysing videos shared on social media after the overnight attacks.

We have geolocated one video which shows explosions and a large fire and a smoke cloud in one of Beirut’s key roads leading to the international airport in Borj El Brajneh district.

We were able to pinpoint where it was filmed by locating a fuel station seen in the foreground of the video, as well as matching the road layout and positioning of nearby buildings, to what is visible on satellite imagery.

By reverse image searching multiple key frames of the video we established it began being shared online less than two hours after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued an evacuation order on social media relating to a multi-storey building in the same road.

A separate video, which gives us a closer view of the fire, shows the source of the orange cloud of smoke is consistent with the location marked in the IDF’s evacuation order issued yesterday on X.

Image source, X

Joel Gunter
Reporting from Beirut

Image source, JOEL GUNTER/BBC

A huge impact crater now sits in the Dahieh neighbourhood of Beirut where until last night there was a sweet shop, a car rental place and floors of apartments above.

Inside the crater, three-storeys deep, there was the charred and mangled evidence of family life - clothes and books, a crushed desk, a fridge twisted almost beyond recognition.

Residents from the area told the BBC that everyone living in the apartments had fled before the building was destroyed, following a warning from Israeli authorities shortly before the missile hit. The strike here was one of a reported 30 that pounded Dahieh last night - one of the worst nights for the neighbourhood since Israel began bombing two weeks ago.

Among the possessions, parts of a small munition could also be seen in the rubble. The Israel Defense Forces told the BBC this morning that it had “conducted a series of targeted strikes on a number of weapons storage facilities and terrorist infrastructure sites belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the area of Beirut”.

Ayman, a 51-year-old rough sleeper who said he lost his home when he lost his job four months ago, had just fallen asleep on the ground one block from the strike when he was lifted into the air by the blast.

Glass and rubble rained down around him, he said, striking him on the head and wounding him lightly.

Image source, JOEL GUNTER/BBC

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Beirut

Image source, HUGO BACHEGA/BBC

This is one of the sites hit by Israeli air strikes overnight in southern Beirut.

Twelve hours later, there is still smoke coming out of the rubble and a heavy smell in the air.

I could count at least three underground floors that have all collapsed.

Residents say there was a sweet shop in the building hit - and we could see some purple bags with the name Akkawi Sweets in the rubble.

This is a built-up area and buildings nearby have also been partially destroyed.

One resident told us there is a school not far from here.

Across the street, there are residential buildings that, he says, have been evacuated following orders by the Israeli military.

We don’t have particular details of this attack, but the Israeli military has frequently accused Hezbollah of hiding weapons storage sites and other facilities in residential areas.

Image source, HUGO BACHEGA/BBC

In the last few moments, the Lebanese health ministry has issued a number of updates about those killed and wounded as a result of Israeli air strikes that took place across the country yesterday.

In total, 23 people died and an additional 93 were wounded following raids in a number of areas - including in southern Lebanon, and in the eastern region of Bekaa and Baalbek-Hermel.

Jon Donnison
Reporting from Jerusalem

Almost exactly one year since Hamas launched its unprecedented 7 October attack from Gaza, the war has been over-shadowed lately by the escalating crisis in the region. But the war is far from over.

Overnight, 26 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a mosque and a school in Deir al-Balah in the centre of the strip, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says - figures the United Nations generally consider reliable.

According to the UN, which uses the health ministry figures, close to 200 people have been killed over the past week alone.

Israel’s military says it has also surrounded an area in Jabalia in the north of Gaza because of the presence of “terrorists” and their "infrastructure".

Tomorrow, Israel will mark the anniversary of the 7 October attacks in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed.

Twelve months ago Israel had much of the world’s sympathy, but with nearly 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza dead and scores of Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas, many are now questioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy and a lot of that sympathy has faded.

We've just had an update from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry on the Israeli attacks carried out on a former school and mosque.

The health ministry says that 26 people were killed in the strikes on Saturday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement earlier that both buildings had been used as "command and control centers" by Hamas. The AFP news agency reported this morning that the Hamas-run civil defence agency has said the mosque was serving as a shelter.

The health ministry says the current total number of deaths from both attacks is now 26, with "dozens" more injured.

The total death toll since 7 October, it says, now stands at 41,870.

We're getting some new images of a reported air strike being carried out on the southern suburbs of Beirut - a known Hezbollah stronghold.

Citing official media, the AFP news agency is reporting this morning of a further strike happening just south of the capital city.

Images from the Reuters news agency this morning also show what appears to be recent clouds of smoke rising above the city.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not commented on any new strikes taking place this morning.

We'll continue to follow this development and bring you more as soon as we have it.

For now, here is one of the images of southern Beirut we've received through to the news desk within the last hour.

Image source, Reuters

Some comments are coming to us now from the Lebanese prime minister, who is calling for international "pressure on Israel" for a ceasefire.

In a statement, Najib Mikati said that his government continues to support the "joint call for a ceasefire" which was launched last week by France and the US with the support of the European Union and Arab countries.

He adds that Lebanon continues to "demand that pressure be exerted on Israel to respect the ceasefire and immediately implement resolution 1701".

Separately, Mikati also welcomes the support expressed recently for Lebanon by French President Emmanuel Macron.

As a reminder, on Saturday, Macron spoke out in favour of stopping arms deliveries to Israel - which drew immediate criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

If you are just joining us now, let's bring you up to date with some of the key developments in the Middle East from the last day:

• In what our correspondent in Lebanon has called the worst night so far of Israeli bombardments of Lebanon, more than 30 air strikes have taken place in the southern suburbs of Beirut - where Hezbollah has a strong presence
• Huge flames and plumes of smoke could be seen billowing into the night sky, while residents were filmed fleeing in panic as explosions echoed in the background
• It comes after the Israeli military had warned people to evacuate and said last night it had killed 440 Hezbollah fighters in its ground invasion in southern Lebanon
• On the southern Lebanese border, Israel said 30 rockets were launched towards the mostly evacuated northern city of Kiryat Shmona - while Hezbollah said its fighters repelled Israeli troops trying to infiltrate a Lebanese village
• Separately, yesterday there was an air strike in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli and reports that a Hamas leader was killed in the blast
• The UN has said that more than 200,000 people have fled Lebanon into neighbouring Syria in recent weeks
• Elsewhere in Gaza, the Hamas-run media office said an Israeli strike on a mosque and a school sheltering displaced people has killed at least 24 people and wounded 93
• Israel's military says Hamas was using the compound, near a hospital, as a command centre - and said the strikes were "precise"

One of our colleagues reporting from Beirut has called last night "the worst night of attacks that Beirut's suburbs and the whole city has experienced" since the conflict began.

We've seen video footage this morning of what appears to be a large fireball rising above the city's skyline.

The Israel Defense Forces has said it carried out attacks on Hezbollah targets.

Here are some of the initial images coming through to us this morning from last night and the early hours of this morning.

We haven't heard what damage those strikes caused but we'll bring you that information and more once we have it.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

An update from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued within the last hour says that the Israeli air force intercepted a "number" of aerial targets launched from Lebanese territory overnight.

The post on X says the targets did not cross into Israeli territory but that alerts were issued due to the risk of fragments falling from the sky.

It followed warnings being issued in the Western Galilee area.

In a separate update from earlier, the IDF also said an Israeli navy missile ship intercepted two drones "launched from the east" in the Mediterranean Sea, while the air force intercepted one unmanned aerial device (UAV) in the maritime area off the coast of Gush Dan - also launched from the east.

No casualties were reported in either case, it added.

Video footage shows a large fireball rising above Lebanon's capital overnight following another strike on the capital.

Reports suggest it may have hit a petrol station, according to a map provided by the Israeli military.

Meanwhile in Gaza, the Hamas-run civil defence agency says an Israeli strike that hit a mosque serving as a shelter killed at least 21 people, the AFP news agency is reporting this morning.

The mosque was located in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza with the Israeli military saying the target had been Hamas militants.

The update from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), issued in the early hours of the morning, further references an attack on a former school in the same area.

It says both facilities had been "command and control centers" used by Hamas and that steps were taken in both cases to minimise chances of civilian casualties.

Nafiseh Kohnavard
Middle East correspondent, BBC World Service, in Beirut

Image source, Nafiseh Kohnavard /BBC

Last night viewing from my balcony, and almost two hours after the air strikes on a location in the southern suburbs of Beirut, I could still see flashes and sparks every few seconds from there.

Some open sources and weapons experts on X suggest this was a weapon depot or a petrol station. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has carried out attacks on targets belonging to Hezbollah.

In the video I have recorded from the moment of a big secondary explosion, lots of traces visibly can be seen. It’s like giant fireworks.

At some point the sound of those explosions are small and from time to time big explosions are mixed with the sound of continuous Israeli air strikes on different parts of that area.

The sound of a drone buzzing overhead could be heard continuously - likely an IDF surveillance drone that was flying at a low altitude.

Strikes continued until early morning. This was the worst night of attacks that Beirut’s suburbs and the whole city has experienced since the start of this conflict.

Air strikes came after an evacuation warning was issued by the IDF on X.

The neighbourhoods around the attack site show some people tried to flee on foot as most of the road in that area has been damaged or blocked by debris due to heavy air raids in the past couple of weeks.

Jon Donnison
Reporting from Jerusalem

Overnight Israel’s military continued to hit Lebanon hard.

In the capital Beirut a huge orange fireball lit up the sky after a massive explosion with some speculation a fuel depot or petrol station could have been hit.

Israel says it’s now struck more than 2,000 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and the Iranian-backed militia group continues to fire back.

In a televised address last night Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country was fighting against the forces of “barbarism”, led by Iran.

The world is still watching nervously to see the scale of Israel’s inevitable response to Iran’s unprecedented ballistic missile attack earlier this week.

Meanwhile in Gaza, Palestinian media is reporting Israel bombed a mosque in Deir al-Balah killing at least 21 people.

It’s almost exactly a year since the region was thrown into crisis with Hamas’s 7 October cross-border raid. Since then the United Nations says almost 42,000 people have been killed in Gaza.

Good morning and welcome back to our coverage of the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

Large explosions have again rocked the southern suburbs of Beirut following another day of Israeli strikes on Lebanon.

Lebanese media described the blasts as "very violent", saying ambulances rushed to affected sites.

The border between Israel and Lebanon remains tense, with the Israeli military reporting 30 rockets being fired into the north of the country by Hezbollah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said those rockets had been launched into mainly evacuated areas.

Elsewhere in the Middle East region, Israeli fighter jets have struck a mosque in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, killing at least 21 people, according to Palestinian media reports.

Israel's military said Hamas was using the compound, near the al-Aqsa hospital, as a command and control centre, but eyewitnesses said it was housing displaced people.

Stay with us and we will continue to bring you the latest developments and analysis from our team of journalists and correspondents on the ground.

Image source, Reuters

It's just turned midnight in the UK, and 02:00 in Lebanon and Israel. We're pausing our live coverage - here are the latest developments:

• After a day of Israeli strikes, there were several large explosions in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Saturday evening, with huge flames seen in the southern suburbs. The IDF had called on residents to evacuate the area earlier
• Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said days of strikes had destroyed a large part of Hezbollah's arsenal and changed the course of the war against the Iranian-backed group
• Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets into Israel earlier, saying a military factory was among its targets
• Netanyahu also criticised French President Emmanuel Macron for calling for an arms embargo against Israel, and an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon. Macron's office reaffirmed that France is a "steadfast friend of Israel"
• The top US general for the Middle East, Michael Kurilla, has arrived in Israel to discuss its possible retaliation for a barrage of ballistic missiles fired by Iran on Tuesday. Tehran said the attack was in response to Israel's killing of Hezbollah's leader last week
• The head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, arrived in Beirut earlier and warned that Lebanon faced a terrible crisis as the conflict intensified

You can read more about the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict, and tensions in the wider Middle East region, here.

Meanwhile, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has criticised French President Emmanuel Macron for calling for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, and for an arms embargo against Israel.

Speaking at a summit in Paris, Macron said he regretted the decision by Netanyahu to launch a ground operation in Lebanon and said it was "inconsistent" for countries to call for a ceasefire while providing Israel with "weapons of war".

The Israeli PM condemned Macron's comments, saying that any country that did not stand with Israel was supporting Iran and its allies and proxies.

Netanyahu said: "As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilised countries should be standing firmly by Israel's side. Yet, President Macron and other Western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel."

"Shame on them," Netanyahu added.

Macron's office later responded, saying France is a "steadfast friend of Israel", describing Netanyahu's reaction as "excessive and detached from the friendship between France and Israel".

Nafiseh Kohnavard
Middle East correspondent, BBC World Service, in Beirut

Image source, Nafiseh Kohnavard / BBC

It’s been more than one hour since the explosions in Beirut, and one location that was hit is still burning.

There have been multiple blasts which appear to be secondary explosions.

One location was targeted by two air strikes as I watched, but after a few minutes of seeing fire and thick smoke rising from that location, several other explosions started.

I could see traces coming from that location, and strong explosions heard one after another. Local media says that a warehouse was hit but it is unclear at this stage.

Anna Foster
Reporting from Beirut

This was a particularly large blast.

Pictures showed an initial burst before a large secondary explosion and a mushroom of orange flame and black smoke rising into the air.

Some of the early suggestions are that it may have hit a petrol station, according to a map provided by the Israeli military in its latest evacuation order and images of the location of the blast.

We've seen many of these Israeli air strikes over the last two weeks, but this fresh blast looks like it is something that has been far less targeted.

For one reason or another, be it proximity to a petrol station or be it by design, it looks like it's taken out a much larger area than usual.

There are a lot of ongoing secondary explosions now with orange flashes in the sky.