The  Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said three of its leaders were killed in a strike on Beirut, the first attack within the city limits.

The PFLP said three of its leaders were killed in a strike that targeted Beirut's Kola district.

The strike hit the upper floor of an apartment building, Reuters witnesses said.

There was no immediate comment from Israel's military.

Israel's increasing frequency of attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen have prompted fears that Middle East fighting could spin out of control and draw in Iran and the United States, Israel's main ally.

 Picture of an alleged Israeli strike in Kola, Beirut, 30 September 2024 (credit: SCREENSHOT/X)
Picture of an alleged Israeli strike in Kola, Beirut, 30 September 2024 (credit: SCREENSHOT/X)

Aftermath of Nasrallah's death 

Israel on Sunday launched airstrikes against the Houthi in Yemen and dozens of Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon after earlier killing Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah

The Houthi-run health ministry said at least four people were killed and 29 wounded in airstrikes on Yemen's port of Hodeidah, which Israel said were a response to Houthi missile attacks. In Lebanon, authorities said at least 105 people had been killed by Israeli air strikes on Sunday.

Lebanon's Health Ministry has said more than 1,000 people have been killed and 6,000 wounded in the past two weeks, without saying how many were civilians. The government said a million people - a fifth of the population - have fled their homes.

The intensifying Israeli bombardment over two weeks has also killed a string of top Hezbollah officials, including  Nasrallah.

Israel has vowed to keep up the assault and says it wants to make its northern areas secure again for residents who have been forced to flee Hezbollah rocket attacks.

Israeli drones hovered over Beirut for much of Sunday, with the loud blasts of new airstrikes echoing around the Lebanese capital. Displaced families spent the night on benches at Zaitunay Bay, a string of restaurants and cafes on Beirut's waterfront.

Many of Israel's attacks have been carried out in the south of Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah has most of its operations or Beirut's southern suburbs.

Monday's attack in the Kola district appeared to be the first strike within Beirut's city limits. Syrians living in southern Lebanon who had fled Israeli bombardment had been sleeping under a bridge in the neighborhood for days, residents of the area said.

US reacts

The United States has urged a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in Lebanon but has also authorized its military to reinforce in the region.

US President Joe Biden asked if an all-out war in the Middle East could be avoided, said: “It has to be." He said he would be talking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.