The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah’s central headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday, shaking the Lebanese capital and sending thick clouds of smoke over the city.
News outlet Axios, citing an Israeli source, said Hezbollah leader Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah was the target of the attack and that Israeli forces were investigating whether he was hit.
A source close to Hezbollah told Reuters that Nasrallah was alive, while Iran’s Tasnim news agency also reported that he was safe.
A senior Iranian security official told Reuters that Tehran was investigating his situation.
Iran-backed Hezbollah’s al-Manar television reported that four buildings were destroyed and several people were injured in the attacks, marking a major escalation in Israel’s conflict with heavily armed Hezbollah.
The Israeli military said it had carried out a “precision strike” on Hezbollah’s headquarters, which it said were “hidden under residential buildings in the middle of Dahiyah in Beirut”.
Israel has struck Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs, known as Dahiyah, four times in the past week, killing at least three senior Hezbollah military commanders.
But Friday’s attack was far more powerful, with multiple explosions that shook windows across the city, reminiscent of Israeli airstrikes during the 2006 war with Hezbollah.
In a televised statement, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the central command center was located deep within civilian areas.
The attacks in Beirut came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue Israeli attacks on Iranian-backed militias in Lebanon in a UN speech, as hopes for a ceasefire faded, escalating the threat of an all-out regional war. Could be the reason.
It was the most powerful attack yet carried out by Israel in Beirut during the nearly year-long conflict with Hezbollah. Security sources in Lebanon said the attack targeted an area where top Hezbollah officials usually live.
Footage broadcast by Al-Manar TV showed at least one smoldering crater at the site of the attack.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has escalated this week, with Israeli air strikes killing more than 700 people in Lebanon. The tensions have raised fears of an even more destructive conflict between heavily armed rivals.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu said, “As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice, and Israel has no choice but to eliminate this threat and return our citizens safely to their homes. Has full right.”
He said, “Israel has been enduring this intolerable situation for almost a year. Well, I’m here today to say enough is enough.”
As Netanyahu approached the lecture hall, many of the delegation walked out while supporters in the gallery cheered.
Israel says its operation is aimed at ensuring the safe return home of thousands of people who were forced to evacuate their homes due to rocket attacks in northern Israel. Hezbollah is waging a campaign in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas, which is fighting Israel in Gaza.
This week’s surge has displaced nearly 100,000 people in Lebanon, bringing the total number of people displaced by the conflict in the country to more than 200,000.
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