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Israel carries out massive attack on Beirut – Hezbollah leader said to be the target | World News

Israel carries out massive attack on Beirut – Hezbollah leader said to be the target | World News

Israel has launched a series of massive attacks on Beirut, with the military saying it attacked the headquarters of the militant group Hezbollah.

The first wave of attacks shook windows across the world Lebanese capital and sent thick clouds of smoke into the air.

Israel says Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah was the intended target of the attack, but a senior Israeli official said it was too early to say whether the attack was successful.

Latest news from Israel and Hezbollah: Commander of militant group “killed in Lebanon”

A source close to Hezbollah told Reuters that Nasrallah was still alive, and Iran’s Tasnim news agency also reported that he was safe.

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According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, at least six people were killed and 91 injured in the airstrikes. It said the numbers were preliminary.

A second round of attacks by the Israeli Air Force followed early Saturday, targeting Hezbollah weapons production facilities and key command centers of the militant group in southern Beirut, according to the Israeli military.

After the attack, flames could be seen rising in certain areas. And Israel says it also attacked targets in the Bekaa Valley and hit the mountain town of Bhamdoun.

This came hours after the IDF first called for the immediate evacuation of some specific buildings in the southern suburbs.

Army spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X that people should “move at least 500 meters away from three buildings.”

During the attacks, the Israeli military claimed it killed Hezbollah’s missile unit commander, Muhammad Ali Ismail, and his deputy, Hossein Ahmed Ismail.

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Beirut was rocked by several large explosions

Friday’s attack was Israel’s strongest attack 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 Oct. 7.

The Israeli military claimed it carried out a “precision strike” on Hezbollah’s headquarters, which it said was located “among residential buildings in the heart of Dahieh in Beirut.”

The site of an Israeli attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Image: Reuters
The site of an Israeli attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Image: Reuters
Picture:
The site of an Israeli attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Images: Reuters

Dahieh – the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburb of Beirut – has been attacked four times in 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.

The Iranian embassy in Beirut described the attacks as a “dangerous, groundbreaking escalation” and called them a “crime” that deserved “appropriate punishment.”

Confusion over Nasrallah’s condition – and it could force Iran to make a decision

There is still uncertainty about the fate of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.

After suspiciously quick statements that he was “safe,” there has been no update for several hours. If he is still alive, I would expect him to appear on television as soon as possible to reassure his followers and spread a message of defiance.

Israeli sources claim he was the target of the attacks, but have not yet said whether they were successful. The explosion site is so large that it will take some time for rescue workers to find the dead. The number of civilian deaths is expected to rise significantly.

This is a crucial moment. If Nasrallah is killed, it would be Israel’s greatest success to date. They tried to find and kill him in 2006 but failed. Leaders can easily be replaced, often by someone more dangerous than before, as the assassination of former Hezbollah leader Abbas Al-Musawi in 1992 shows. His successor was Nasrallah.

Even if Nasrallah is dead, Hezbollah is not.

Read the rest of Alistair’s analysis

Then overnight Sunday, the Israeli army claimed it had also eliminated the leader of a Hamas network in southern Syria.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, more than 720 people have been killed and over 200,000 displaced in Lebanon since the conflict escalated following pager and radio explosions.

On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue Israel’s attacks on Iranian-backed fighters in Lebanon 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 eliminate this threat and return our citizens safely to their homes,” he said.

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“Israel has tolerated this intolerable situation for almost a year. Well, I came here today to say enough is enough,” Mr. Netanyahu added.

Read more:
Confusion over Hassan Nasrallah’s condition
Netanyahu’s UN speech did not contain a clear plan to end the war

Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 700 people in Lebanon, raising fears of an all-out war between the two sides.

Satellite images captured by Maxar Technologies show the extent of damage caused by some of the attacks in Chouaghir, Baalbek-Hermel Governorate in eastern Lebanon.

Photo slider visualization
Photo slider visualization

The first image, taken on September 3, 2024, shows a building seemingly surrounded by trees. In the second picture from September 26th, the same building is completely destroyed.

Israel claims the aim of the bombing is to end more than 11 months of Hezbollah shelling of its territory.