A man views the destroyed branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
BEIRUT (AP) — Israel’s military bombed a busy residential and commercial district in central Beirut after issuing a warning for residents to evacuate, saying it was targeting Hezbollah sites. The strikes hit a building in the Bashoura district twice, in the closest attack to downtown since the start of the war on Iran by Israel and the U.S.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
A flash and smoke from an explosion is seen behind a building during an Israeli targeted strike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)People check the site of a destroyed branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)A man checks his scooter near a destroyed branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, background, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)A man walks at the site of a destroyed branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, background, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)Smoke rises from a building targeted by an Israeli strike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)Smoke rises from a building hit by a targeted Israeli strike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)A projectile approaches its target during an Israeli strike on a building in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)Smoke rises from a building targeted by an Israeli strike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)Two boys watch as smoke rises from a building nearby after an Israeli strike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)Smoke rises from a building after an Israeli targeted strike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026.(AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)Smoke rises from a building after an Israeli strike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)Residents watch as smoke rises from a nearby building during an Israeli strike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)People inspect the site of a destroyed branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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