Israel Targets Hezbollah in Beirut City Center: Strikes Hit University Campus
By Juba Global News Network Staff
JubaGlobal.com
March 13, 2026
Israeli fighter jets launched a series of precision strikes deep inside Beirut’s city center early Friday, directly targeting Hezbollah strongholds and, for the first time in this conflict, hitting the campus of the Lebanese University — a move that has sent shockwaves across Lebanon and raised fears that the US-Israeli war on Iran is now igniting a full-scale second front in Lebanon.
At least 18 people were killed and more than 60 wounded in the daring daylight operation, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Among the dead are seven civilians, including two university students and a professor who were attending lectures when the missiles struck. The attack marks a dangerous escalation in the already raging regional war that entered its third week today.
Precision Strikes in the Heart of Beirut
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the operation, stating that its F-35 and F-15 jets struck multiple Hezbollah command posts, weapons storage sites, and rocket launchers embedded in civilian neighborhoods of central Beirut. One of the primary targets was a building adjacent to the Lebanese University’s main campus in the Hadath district, which Israeli intelligence claimed was being used by Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force for planning attacks on northern Israel.
Video footage posted by local residents shows thick plumes of smoke rising from the university area, with shattered glass and debris scattered across lecture halls. Rescue workers pulled bodies from the rubble as sirens wailed and ambulances raced through Beirut’s congested streets. The Lebanese Red Cross described the scene as “chaotic and heartbreaking,” with students fleeing classrooms in panic.
Hezbollah’s media office immediately condemned the strikes as “a declaration of open war on the Lebanese people,” vowing that “the resistance will respond with full force and at a time and place of our choosing.”
Civilian Toll and University Campus Damage
Lebanese officials say the strike on the university campus — one of the country’s largest public higher-education institutions — crossed a dangerous red line. University President Dr. Bassam Badran told local television that classes were in session when the missiles hit nearby buildings, killing two students and injuring 14 others. “This is not only an attack on Hezbollah; it is an attack on education, on youth, and on Lebanon’s future,” he said.
The IDF released a statement claiming that “every possible precaution was taken to minimize civilian harm,” but admitted that Hezbollah’s deliberate placement of military assets inside populated areas made civilian casualties “unavoidable.” Israeli military sources told Juba Global News Network that the university-adjacent building housed a command center coordinating rocket fire into Israel over the past two weeks.
Hezbollah Joins the Iran War Front
Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful proxy, has fired more than 1,200 rockets and drones into northern Israel since the US-Israeli campaign against Iran began on February 28. Friday’s Israeli strikes are the deepest penetration into Beirut since the 2006 Lebanon War, signaling Jerusalem’s determination to neutralize the threat while its air force is already stretched thin over Iranian skies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking from an underground bunker, said: “We will not allow Hezbollah to exploit Lebanese civilians as human shields while they attack our cities. Anyone who harms Israel will pay a heavy price — whether in Tehran, Beirut, or anywhere else.”
Fears of a Wider Lebanon War
The strikes come amid growing international concern that the Iran war is rapidly expanding. With Iranian missiles still raining on Israel, Gulf states under drone attack, and now direct fighting in Beirut, analysts warn the conflict could soon engulf the entire Levant.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called for an emergency Arab League meeting and urged the United Nations to intervene. “Lebanon is paying the price for a war it did not start,” he said. The United States expressed “deep concern” over civilian casualties but reiterated support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah.
Russia and China condemned the Beirut strikes as “disproportionate and dangerous,” while Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei praised Hezbollah as “the spearhead of resistance” and promised increased support.
Broader Regional Impact
The attack on Beirut coincides with other dramatic developments in the third week of the war: massive Israeli strikes on 200 Iranian targets, explosions in Dubai, a US tanker crash in Iraq, and soaring oil prices above $100 per barrel. Military experts say Israel is now fighting on multiple fronts simultaneously — Iran directly, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq.
Northern Israel remains under constant rocket fire, with more than 50,000 residents still displaced. In Beirut, streets that had begun to return to normal after years of economic crisis are once again filled with fear, blackouts, and the sound of distant explosions.
What Comes Next?
Hezbollah leaders have promised a “painful response” in the coming hours or days, possibly involving longer-range missiles or coordinated attacks with other Axis of Resistance groups. Israeli officials have placed the entire northern command on maximum alert and warned Lebanese civilians to stay away from Hezbollah-linked sites.
As the US-Israeli campaign against Iran enters its 15th day, the opening of a major new front in Lebanon could dramatically alter the course of the conflict — and the fate of the entire Middle East.
Juba Global News Network is monitoring the situation on the ground in Beirut and will bring continuous updates as this fast-moving story develops.
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