The expansion of the war came almost a year after Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and killed around 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. Israel's subsequent incursions in Gaza has killed nearly 44,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities.

An Israeli strike on Tuesday levelled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta - the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown.