Israel unleashes huge strikes on Beirut - it says Hezbollah leader is the target
At least six people have been killed in the latest airstrikes and 91 wounded, according to the Lebanese health ministry, which said the figures were preliminary.
Saturday 28 September 2024 08:09, UK
Israel has unleashed a series of huge strikes on Beirut, with its military saying it struck the central headquarters of the militant group Hezbollah.
The first wave of attacks shook windows across the Lebanese capital and sent thick clouds of smoke billowing into the air.
Israel says Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was the intended target of the strike but a senior Israeli official said it was too early to say whether the attack was successful.
Israel-Hezbollah latest: Militant group commander 'killed in Lebanon'
A source close to Hezbollah told the Reuters news agency Nasrallah is still alive, and Iran's Tasnim news agency also reported he was safe.
At least six people have been killed in the airstrikes and 91 wounded, according to the Lebanese health ministry. It said the figures were preliminary.
Early on Saturday a second round of strikes carried out by Israel's air force followed, targeting what the Israeli military said were Hezbollah weapons production facilities and key command centres of the militant group in southern Beirut.
Flames could be seen rising from certain areas after the strike. And Israel says it has also been attacking targets in the Bekaa valley, striking the mountain town of Bhamdoun.
It came hours after the IDF called for the immediate evacuation of some specific buildings in southern suburbs for the first time.
Army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a post on X that people should "get at least 500m away" from three buildings.
As the attacks took place, the Israeli military claimed it had killed the commander of Hezbollah's missile unit, Muhammad Ali Ismail, and his deputy, Hossein Ahmed Ismail.
Friday's strike was the strongest carried out by Israel in Beirut during its nearly year-long conflict with Hezbollah, which began when the Iran-backed group began firing rockets into Israel almost immediately after Hamas attacked from Gaza on 7 October.
The Israeli military claimed it had carried out a "precise strike" on Hezbollah's headquarters which it said was "embedded under residential buildings in the heart of the Dahieh in Beirut".
Dahieh - the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut - has been struck four times over the last week - displacing an estimated 100,000 people.
Four of the buildings in the area were reduced to rubble on Friday, Hezbollah's Al Manar TV reported.
Iran's embassy in Beirut described the strikes as a "dangerous, game-changing escalation", calling them a "crime" that merits "appropriate punishment".
Confusion around Nasrallah's condition - and it could force Iran into a decision
There is still confusion around the fate of Hezbollah General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah.
After suspiciously rapid statements that he was "safe" there has not been an update for some hours. If he is alive, I would expect him to appear on TV as soon as possible to reassure his supporters and in a message of defiance.
Israeli sources say he was the target of the attacks but are yet to indicate whether they were successful. The blast site is so large, it will take time for rescue workers to find the dead. The civilian death toll is likely to rise considerably.
This is a pivotal moment. If Nasrallah has been killed it will be the biggest success for Israel so far. They tried to find and kill him in 2006, but failed. Leaders can be easily replaced and often with someone more dangerous than before, as witnessed by the killing of the former Hezbollah leader Abbas Al-Musawi in 1992. He was succeeded by Nasrallah.
Even if Nasrallah is dead, Hezbollah isn't.
Then overnight into Saturday, the Israeli army claimed to have eliminated the head of a Hamas network in southern Syria as well.
More than 720 people have been killed in Lebanon since the conflict escalated following pager and radio explosions, according to Lebanon's health ministry, with over 200,000 people displaced.
Earlier on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep up Israel's attacks on Iranian-backed fighters in Lebanon during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly.
"As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice, and Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their homes safely," he said.
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"Israel has been tolerating this intolerable situation for nearly a year. Well, I've come here today to say enough is enough," Mr Netanyahu added.
Read more:
Confusion around Hassan Nasrallah's condition
Netanyahu's UN speech had no clear plan to end war
Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 700 people in Lebanon, raising fears of an all-out war between the two sides.
Satellite images, taken by Maxar Technologies, reveal the extent of the damage caused by some of the strikes in Chouaghir, Baalbek-Hermel Governorate in eastern Lebanon.
The first image, which was taken on 3 September 2024, shows a building surrounded by what appears to be trees. The same building is then completely destroyed in the second image, which was taken on 26 September.
Israel claims the aim of the bombardment is to put an end to more than 11 months of Hezbollah fire into its territory.