Israeli strikes targeted an ​apartment building in central Beirut ‌on Wednesday, Lebanese state media said, marking the second strike in ​the city in recent ​days.

World leaders were racing on Wednesday to shore up the global oil supply and stabilize oil prices as war in the Middle East and retaliatory attacks by Iran threaten to choke off the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow Persian Gulf waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits.

It was about 01:30 in the morning when a loud explosion tore through the Raouche neighbourhood in the heart of the Lebanese capital Beirut.The Israeli strike on the four-star Ramada Plaza hotel marked the first time in this war that Israel's bombing campaign had struck the city centre - a bustling coastal area full of restaurants and hotels.

Intense bombardments continue to hit the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, as Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah in a wave of attacks that began midnight local time Friday. At least 217 people have been killed and 798 others have been wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon that began early Monday,

During the civil war between 1975 and 1990, Hezbollah established its urban base in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Dahiyeh – the word means “suburb” – is the heart of Hezbollah’s political, social and service networks. Which is why it has become a target for Israel’s military.

Lebanon’s capital erupted in chaos after the Israeli military ordered people to flee the southern suburbs. A far-right minister in Israel warned of a devastating bombardment.

No injuries, direct impacts reported in latest Iranian missile attacks * Four said killed in Israeli strike on central Beirut apartment * Academy of the Hebrew Language website hacked