Israeli airstrike hits Beirut university, killing two professors

ALBAWABA- An Israeli airstrike on Thursday struck the Faculty of Sciences at Lebanese University in Beirut’s southern suburb, killing two senior academics and intensifying fears of a deeper regional escalation.

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Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that the victims were Professor Hussein Bazzi, director of the faculty at the south Beirut campus, and Professor Mortada Srour. The strike targeted an educational facility located in a densely populated civilian area, prompting strong condemnation from Lebanese authorities.

President Joseph Aoun and the Lebanese government denounced the attack, describing it as a dangerous escalation that struck the country’s academic sector. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he was working “day and night” to end a war Lebanon had tried to avoid.

“We cannot accept, in any way, that Lebanon becomes a battleground for the wars of others,” Salam said, noting that President Aoun had launched diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing further escalation.

The strike comes amid rapidly intensifying hostilities between Israel and the Iran-aligned axis in the region. Fighting escalated on March 2 when Hezbollah resumed attacks on Israeli military targets, citing continued Israeli operations in Lebanon and the earlier assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in joint U.S.–Israeli strikes on February 28.

Israel responded with heavy airstrikes across Beirut’s southern suburbs as well as southern and eastern Lebanon, followed by a limited ground incursion into southern Lebanon on March 3.

Israeli media reports indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering withdrawing from the October 2024 ceasefire arrangement with Hezbollah. Meanwhile, the Israeli military has deployed large numbers of tanks along the Lebanese border and established several forward positions.