Israel bombed central Beirut  killing at least six people, after its forces suffered their deadliest day yet on the Lebanese front in a year of battles with Hezbollah, an armed group supported by Iran.

Israel said it conducted a pinpoint airstrike on Beirut. Reuters witnesses described the explosion as tremendous, and a security source said the strike hit a building in the Bachoura neighborhood, near parliament, marking the closest Israeli strikes have come to Lebanon’s government offices.

Lebanese health officials said at least six people were killed and seven others wounded. A photo circulating on Lebanese WhatsApp groups – which Reuters was unable to immediately verify – showed a heavily damaged building with its first floor on fire.

Dahiyeh Hit By Missiles Following Israeli Airstrikes

Multiple missiles hit the southern suburb of Dahiyeh, where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was reportedly killed last week, in a series of loud explosions that sent people running for cover, Lebanese security officials said. The area had already been pounded by more than a dozen Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday.

A day after Iran launched more than 180 missiles into Israel, Israel said that eight of its soldiers were killed in ground combat in southern Lebanon as its forces advanced into the northern neighboring country.

Israel-Hezbollah War: Israeli Ground Forces Deploy In Lebanon After Iran’s Missile Attack

The Israeli military said ground operations in Lebanon were joined on Wednesday by regular infantry and armored units. This came after Iran’s missile attack and Israel’s vow of retaliation, which heightened fears that oil-rich Middle East could be drawn into wider conflict.

Hezbollah Reports First Ground Clashes With Israeli Troops

Hezbollah claims its fighters engaged Israeli ground troops in the first land battles since Israeli troops entered Lebanon on Monday, while the group said three Merkava tanks were destroyed by rockets near the border town of Maroun El Ras.