Rescuers were still removing debris late yesterday after an Israeli airstrike hit Beirut across the street from the capital’s main public hospital, killing at least 18 people.
Residents who survived the massive explosion were still in shock, some searching through the debris with their hands for their relatives or their belongings.
The Lebanese Civil Defence said five buildings were destroyed and 12 sustained severe damage.
Hussein al-Ali, a nurse in the Rafik Hariri Hospital opposite, said: “We were terrified. This is a crime. It felt like judgement day.”
Director of the hospital Jihad Saadeh said the strike broke several glass windows and the solar panels of the medical facility.
Mr Saadeh said the hospital received no warning of the attack, nor did the residents of the slum area.
Ola Eid was playing with her neighbour’s children when the first explosion hit, knocking her to the floor.
She said she stood up to find her neighbour’s child soaked in blood. One was killed immediately; the other remains in intensive care.
“I looked ahead and saw the kids torn apart and hurt,” she said.
The Israeli military said it struck a Hezbollah target, without elaborating.
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