Israeli Strikes Kill 22 in Beirut as Hezbollah’s Wafiq Safa Evades Assassination

People gather in front of a damaged building after an Israeli military strike at the Nuwayri area in Beirut, Lebanon, 10 October 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
People gather in front of a damaged building after an Israeli military strike at the Nuwayri area in Beirut, Lebanon, 10 October 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Israeli Strikes Kill 22 in Beirut as Hezbollah’s Wafiq Safa Evades Assassination

People gather in front of a damaged building after an Israeli military strike at the Nuwayri area in Beirut, Lebanon, 10 October 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
People gather in front of a damaged building after an Israeli military strike at the Nuwayri area in Beirut, Lebanon, 10 October 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Israeli strikes killed 22 people and injured more than 100 in central Beirut on Thursday, Lebanese authorities said, as a senior Hezbollah official evaded an Israeli assassination attempt in the city, according to three security sources.

Wafiq Safa, who heads Hezbollah's liaison and coordination unit responsible for working with Lebanese security agencies, was targeted by Israel on Thursday night but survived, the security sources said.

The Israeli strikes hit a densely packed residential neighborhood of apartment buildings and small shops in the heart of Beirut.

Israel did not issue evacuation warnings ahead of the strikes and had not previously attacked the area.

Lebanon's Health Ministry reported 22 people killed and 117 wounded. Among the dead was a family of eight, including three children, who had evacuated from the south, according to a security source.

Reuters witnesses said at least one strike hit near a gas station and a thick column of smoke was visible. 
There was no immediate comment on the incident by Israel.
After Israel killed a series of high-ranking Hezbollah officials in recent weeks, including top leader Hassan Nasrallah, Safa was among the few surviving senior figures as the group's upper echelons struggled to reorganize.

The attempt to kill Safa, whose role merges security and political affairs, marked a widening of Israel's targets among Hezbollah officials, which previously focused on the group’s military commanders and top leaders.
 



Egypt and EU Agree 90 Million Euro Deal to Boost Food Security

FILE - A volunteer distributes free juice ahead of Iftar, the evening meal breaking the Ramadan fast, at El-Gamaliyya district in Cairo, Egypt Friday, April 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
FILE - A volunteer distributes free juice ahead of Iftar, the evening meal breaking the Ramadan fast, at El-Gamaliyya district in Cairo, Egypt Friday, April 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
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Egypt and EU Agree 90 Million Euro Deal to Boost Food Security

FILE - A volunteer distributes free juice ahead of Iftar, the evening meal breaking the Ramadan fast, at El-Gamaliyya district in Cairo, Egypt Friday, April 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
FILE - A volunteer distributes free juice ahead of Iftar, the evening meal breaking the Ramadan fast, at El-Gamaliyya district in Cairo, Egypt Friday, April 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

Egypt and the European Commission have signed a 90 million euro ($93.9 million) soft funding agreement to enhance food security, the Egyptian ministry of international cooperation said on Monday.
The funding, provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB), aims to improve Egypt's grain storage and logistics infrastructure, Reuters reported.
The initiative is part of the broader Food Resilience Project, which also receives support from the European Union and the World Bank, with additional grants and financing totaling 210 million euros ($219.3 million).
According to the ministry's statement, the agreement will enable the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) to improve its capacity to import and store wheat more efficiently.
This is the second time this year that GASC receives financing to import wheat, despite having been replaced as the state grain buyer by the military-affiliated Mostakbal Misr at the end of last year.
On February 4, GASC signed a $700 million loan agreement with the Islamic Trade Finance Corporation to bolster its food security efforts.
Egypt is the world's top wheat importer, as the grain is mainly used to produce subsidized bread for tens of millions of Egyptians.