Israeli strikes killed 22 people in Beirut in the deadliest attack on the city centre since recent hostilities broke out, as the UN said its peacekeepers in Lebanon’s south were in growing danger, writes The Guardian.

The strikes hit a densely packed residential neighbourhood of apartment buildings and small shops in the heart of the Lebanese capital. Israel had not previously struck the area, which is removed from Beirut’s southern suburbs where Hezbollah’s headquarters have been repeatedly bombed over the past weeks.

Wafiq Safa, who heads Hezbollah’s liaison and coordination unit responsible for working with Lebanese security agencies, was reportedly the target of Thursday’s strikes, but survived, security sources told the Reuters news agency.

There was no immediate comment by Israel. The Israeli military issued a new evacuation warning on Thursday night for Beirut’s southern suburbs including specific buildings. Earlier in the day, Israel warned Lebanese civilians that to avoid the fighting they should not return to homes in the south.

The casualties in central Beirut on Thursday night rose quickly - the Lebanese health ministry reported 22 people killed and 117 wounded. Among the dead were a family of eight, including three children, who had evacuated from the south, according to a security source.

The deadly attack came as a UN official told the Security Council that the safety of more than 10,400 UN peacekeepers in Lebanon was “increasingly in jeopardy” and operations had virtually halted since late September, coinciding with Israel’s escalation against Hezbollah in Lebanon.