Day 9 Of West Asia War: 4 Killed As Israel Strikes Hotel In Beirut, Fuel Hubs Hit In Tehran

Beirut: Israel intensified operations amid the ongoing West Asia war on Sunday (March 8) with the military claiming it targeted Iranian commanders operating in Beirut, and struck several fuel storage facilities in Tehran in an attempt to inflict damage on the military infrastructure of Iran. 

Lebanon was pulled deeper into the conflict earlier this week after the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah fired rockets and drones into Israel. Israel responded with heavy airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon and areas near Beirut.

Israeli Strikes Killed 4 In Beirut Hotel

At least four people were killed and 10 others injured when an Israeli strike hit an apartment in the Ramada hotel building in central Beirut early on Sunday. The Israeli military said it targeted Iranian commanders operating there. The strike hit Beirut’s Raouche district, a major residential as well as commercial area at the heart of the Lebanese capital.

Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli drone struck a room in the hotel building, killing four people and wounding 10 others. The Ramada Hotel was housing displaced people who had fled fighting in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, and some residents were seen leaving the building after the strike amid fears of further attacks.

The Israeli military said the operation targeted commanders from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force operating in Lebanon.

“The commanders of the Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps operated to advance terror attacks against the state of Israel and its civilians, while operating simultaneously for the IRGC in Iran,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

It added that Israel “will not allow Iranian terrorist elements to establish themselves in Lebanese territory and will continue to eliminate, in a targeted manner, the commanders of the Iranian terrorist regime wherever they operate.” The military did not name the commanders or confirm whether they had been killed in the strike. The attack comes days after Israel said it had killed Daoud Ali Zadeh, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force in Lebanon, in a strike in Tehran last week.

Videos showing the aftermath of the strike on the hotel have surfaced on social media, with users raising concerns on civilian casualties caused due to the war. Although the IDF added in their statement that steps were taken to minimize harm to civilians prior to the strikes, visuals on social media platforms have also shown attacks on residential areas in Beirut. 

IDF Strikes Fuel Hubs In Tehran

In another statement this morning, the Israeli military said that the Israeli Air Force, guided by military intelligence, had struck several fuel storage facilities in Tehran. This comes as several videos from the scene emerged, showing fire and explosions from the Shahran oil depot.

“The military forces of the Iranian terrorist regime make direct and frequent use of these fuel tanks to operate military infrastructure,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a post on X, adding that the strike was aimed at deepening damage to Iran’s military infrastructure. An illustrative graphic identifying a "fuel storage facility in Tehran used by the military forces of the Iranian terror regime," accompanied the post highlighting the strategic nature of the targets selected during the operation. “This is a significant strike that constitutes an additional step in deepening the damage to the military infrastructure of the Iranian terrorist regime,” the statement said.

This comes amid the backdrop of the ongoing conflict, as the West Asia enters Day 9, which was triggered after the US and Israel jointly launched airstrikes into the Iranian territory on February 28, targeting its top leadership and military bases. It led to the death of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei bringing a nearly 40-year era to an abrupt closure, and altering the geopolitical situation in the region. 

Also read: Drone Strike In Dubai? 23 Marina Tower Hit As Intercepted Aerial Threat Debris Sparks Fire | WATCH