Israel-Lebanon latest: Israel strikes central Beirut as Biden fears Iran attack over Hezbollah chief’s death

Israel intensified its military campaign across the Middle East on Monday, striking central Beirut for the first time since 2006.

The attack brings the death toll from Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon to over 1,000 people in the last two weeks, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

In just a few hours this weekend, the number of displaced people in Lebanon surged from 300,000 to nearly one million, said Nasser Yassin, Lebanon’s head of emergency disaster management.

A drone attack also reportedly killed three senior leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a militant group involved in the ongoing conflict with Israel.

It comes as the US administration warned they were concerned Iran, which backs Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, was planning on conducting retaliatory strikes against Israel.

The Pentagon said in a statement Sunday night that “should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every necessary measure to defend our people.”