Lebanese soldiers and emergency personnel gather at the site of an Israeli strike that targeted an apartment in Hazmieh, on the eastern outskirts of Beirut, on March 23, 2026. An Israeli strike on Hazmieh east of Beirut killed at least one person, Lebanon's health ministry said on March 23, the second strike on the residential Christian area in the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah war. (Credit: Fadel Itani/AFP)
BEIRUT — An Israeli strike on a residential building in Hazmieh east of Beirut killed at least one person, Lebanon's health ministry said, the second strike on the residential Christian majority area in the ongoing war in Lebanon.
The Israeli military said around the same time that it had "struck an IRGC Quds Force terrorist in Beirut," referring to the foreign operations arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
It's unclear whether the strike was carried out by a drone or a warship.
Media reports suggested that the strike killed Mohammad Ali Qurani — who had already been targeted by Israel at the Comfort Hotel in the residential area of Brasilia, Baada on the dawn of March 4. That strike injured many people, including a hotel receptionist, who later succumbed to her wounds. The Israeli army did not comment on the target of the strike.
The Hazmieh neighborhood, which is near Lebanon's presidential palace, hosts several foreign embassies.
Shortly after the Israeli attack, Hazmieh Mayor Jean Asmar said, "We will not allow this incident to happen again," without providing further details, our field journalist reported.
Earlier, local media cited Asmar as saying: “We welcomed all displaced people, but after this incident, we are compelled to take decisions that were not planned and are beyond our control.”
The mayor added that the targeted individual had arrived at the apartment only an hour before the strike, and the rental had not been made in his name. He also noted that 258 families forcibly displaced by Israeli attacks are currently residing in Hazmieh.
When speaking to L'Orient Today's reporters, residents expressed fear and worry following the Israeli strike.
The Lebanese Red Cross, Civil Defense and the Lebanese Army deployed on the site of the attack shortly after it happened.
Shortly after, the Israeli army once again issued a mass evacuation threat for Beirut's southern suburbs. At least 115 Israeli attacks targeted Beirut's southern suburbs since the start of the war.
Notably, on March 5, The Lebanese government issued a ban on all IRGC activity in the country. It also required Iranian nationals to obtain a visa to enter the country.
Since the war began, Israeli attacks have killed 1,039 people and injured 2,876 others, according to the Health Ministry. In the past 24 hours alone, 10 people were killed and 90 others wounded.
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