News blog about the war in the Middle East
Israel attacks university in Beirut – professors dead
Updated March 12, 2026 – 8:00 p.mReading time: 65 minutes
Israel kills professors in attack on Beirut university. Iran denies having mines in the Strait of Hormuz. All developments in the news blog.
Israel bombed the Lebanese University in Beirut on Thursday, killing two senior academics, state media in Lebanon reported.
The director of the science faculty at the Lebanese University’s South Beirut campus, Hussein Bazzi, and professor Mortada Srour were killed in the Israeli airstrike, Lebanese news agency NNA reported. The affected faculty is located in a southern suburb of the capital Beirut.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun spoke to the president of the Lebanese University after the attack and expressed his condolences to the families of the two killed. At the same time, he strongly condemned the attack on the campus. “What happened today at the Faculty of Science is a crime that deserves condemnation by all standards and a blatant violation of international laws and norms that prohibit attacks on educational institutions and civilians,” Aoun said. It is “another chapter in the targeted attacks on civilians.”
According to Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Rawanchi, Iran is not laying sea mines in the strategically and economically important Strait of Hormuz. When asked whether the Islamic Republic was laying mines in the strait, Takht-Rawantschi told the AFP news agency in Tehran: “Not at all. That’s not true.” US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States had attacked 28 Iranian minelayer ships.
With regard to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Takht-Rawanchi told the AFP news agency that Iran had allowed ships from some countries to pass through the strait. “Some countries have already spoken to us about passage through the strait, and we have cooperated with them,” said Tacht-Rawantschi. He added: “We believe that those countries that have participated in aggression should not benefit from safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.” Since the beginning of the Iran War, the Strait of Hormuz has been de facto closed, which has caused oil prices to rise significantly worldwide.
Israel’s military is preparing for a lengthy military confrontation with the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, according to Chief of General Staff Ejal Zamir. “This operation will not be short,” said Zamir after assessing the situation in northern Israel. He also announced that additional troops would be moved to the Israeli-Lebanese border.
