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.

It has intensified dramatically in recent weeks, with Israel bombing Beirut’s southern suburbs, the south and the Bekaa Valley, and killing many of Hezbollah’s top leaders.

Wafiq Safa, who heads Hezbollah’s liaison and co-ordination 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 neighbourhood 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, which is removed from Beirut’s southern suburbs where Hezbollah’s headquarters have been repeatedly bombed by Israel.

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.

There was no immediate comment on the incident by Israel.

However, Israel did say it had killed Muhammad Abdullah, the head of the Islamic Jihad’s network in the Palestinian refugee camp Nur Shams.

Abdullah, who Israel said had been involved in attacks against its soldiers, was killed along with another “terrorist” in a strike near Tulkarm, the military and security agency said on Friday.

The two peacekeepers were from Indonesia’s contingent and were in good condition after being treated for light injuries, said Indonesia foreign minister Retno Marsudi.

The safety of more than 10,400 UN peacekeepers in Lebanon is “increasingly in jeopardy” and operations have virtually halted since late September, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the Security Council. That coincides with Israel’s escalation of its conflict with Lebanon.

Unifil called attacks on peacekeepers “a grave violation of international humanitarian law”.

The White House said the US was deeply concerned by reports that Israeli forces fired on UN positions and was pressing Israel for details.

Israel’s military said its troops operated in the Naqoura area, “next to a Unifil base”.

“Accordingly, the IDF instructed the UN forces in the area to remain in protected spaces, after which the forces opened fire in the area”, Israel’s statement said, adding it maintains routine communication with Unifil.

The peacekeepers are determined to remain at their posts despite Israeli attacks and orders by Israel’s military to leave, said the force’s spokesperson Andrea Tenenti.

In New York, Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon said Israel recommends Unifil relocate 5km north “to avoid danger as fighting intensifies”.

Danon said attacking Hezbollah was necessary so 70,000 displaced Israelis could return to homes in northern Israel.

US vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said de-escalation was needed.

“We have got to reach a ceasefire,” Harris told reporters as she departed Las Vegas while commenting on the situations in Gaza and Lebanon.

A ceasefire remains elusive in Gaza and Lebanon. Washington’s occasional condemnation of Israel over civilian deaths has mostly been verbal with no substantive change in policy.

Israeli strikes have killed at least 2,169 people in Lebanon over the last year, the Lebanese government said in its daily update. Most have been killed since September 27, when Israel expanded its military campaign. The toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Hezbollah cross-border fire at Israel has killed 53 people over the same period, more than half of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities.

Reuters