Israeli army says it hit Hezbollah command centre in weekend central Beirut strike

The Israeli army on Monday said it had struck a Hezbollah command centre in the down town Beirut neighbourhood of Basta in a deadly air strike at the weekend.

"The IDF (Israeli military) struck a Hezbollah command centre," the army told AFP regarding the strike that the Lebanese health ministry said killed 29 people and wounded 67 on Saturday.

The strike hit a residential building in the heart of Beirut before dawn Saturday, leaving a large crater, AFP journalists at the scene reported.

A senior Lebanese security source told AFP that "a high-ranking Hezbollah officer was targeted" in the strike, without confirming whether or not the official had been killed.

Hezbollah official Amin Cherri said no leader of the Lebanese movement was targeted in Basta.