The air strikes were directed at two areas in central Beirut, including the residential area of Ras al-Nabaa, which is located near the national museum, according to Lebanese authorities.
The lower part of an eight-story building was hit, reports an AP photographer on the scene. In the Burj Abi Haidar area, a whole building is said to have collapsed as a result of the Israeli air strikes.
An anonymous source within the Lebanese security service claims that Israel's target in tonight's attack was a Hezbollah profile. It is unclear whether the person is among the approximately 20 dead.
The attacks are the third against central Beirut since Israel stepped up its bombings of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in September.
UN forces fired upon
Earlier on Thursday, reports emerged that Israel had fired upon three outposts controlled by the UN peacekeeping force Unifil in southern Lebanon. An Israeli tank allegedly fired at a watchtower in Naquora, resulting in two Indonesian UN soldiers falling and sustaining minor injuries, according to Unifil.
Israel is also said to have carried out several other attacks on Unifil, including firing at an entrance to a bunker where the peacekeeping force sought shelter.
In the evening, the Israeli military admitted to opening fire near a Unifil base in southern Lebanon on Thursday. According to the military, they instructed the UN forces to "stay in protected areas" before Israel opened fire in the area.
Condemnation
The incident has been condemned from several quarters, including EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
"Another line has been crossed in a dangerous way in Lebanon: the IDF's firing on UN peacekeeping forces whose positions are known," Borrell writes on X.
The US government is also "deeply concerned" about the reports, says a spokesperson for the National Security Council.
The White House "understands that Israel is conducting targeted operations near the blue line to destroy Hezbollah's infrastructure that can be used to threaten Israeli citizens," says the spokesperson, referring to the border demarcation between Israel and Lebanon.
At the same time, the spokesperson emphasizes that it is of great importance that Israel does not threaten the security of the peacekeeping forces.
Unifil has around 10,000 peacekeeping soldiers in southern Lebanon.
