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Israeli forces on Friday attacked Hezbollah’s “main command center” in Beirut’s southern suburbs, targeting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and delivering the heaviest shelling of the Lebanese capital since the start of the offensive.
The airstrikes on Beirut came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a defiant speech at the United Nations that Israel must defeat Lebanese militants despite growing international pressure for a ceasefire.
The Israeli military said it had attacked Hezbollah headquarters located beneath a residential building. Two people familiar with the situation said the attack was aimed at Nasrallah.
Hezbollah has not officially confirmed whether Nasrallah survived the attack or was in Beirut at the time.
But senior Iranian politicians told Iranian state television that Israel’s killing of senior leaders and commanders of Hezbollah, the Islamic Republic’s most important proxy, would not weaken Hezbollah.
Iran’s reformist President Massoud Fezeshkian called on Islamic countries to condemn Israel’s airstrikes as “blatant war crimes.” He said his government would “maintain the axis of resistance and the side of Lebanon.”
Officials inside the Iranian regime have warned that whether Nasrallah is dead or not, Friday’s attack will take the war to a completely different level.
U.S. President Joe Biden said, “Washington had no knowledge of or participation in this incident.” [Israel Defense Forces] Action”. Asked if he was concerned about the deepening of conflict in the region, he added, “I’m always concerned about that.”
The White House said Biden had directed the Pentagon to “assess and adjust, as necessary,” the posture of U.S. troops in the Middle East and to ensure appropriate protective measures are in place at U.S. embassies. Vice President Kamala Harris was also briefed on Israel’s actions, her office said.
Beirut residents said they heard powerful explosions shaking the city and billowing dust and smoke. At least six people were killed and 91 injured, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. That number was expected to rise as rescuers continued their search for survivors.
Lebanon’s state news agency said six buildings were reduced to rubble near Haret Hreik, south of Beirut.
Hezbollah controls the area, which houses many of the group’s offices, including social welfare agencies, but is also a densely populated urban center.
Late Friday evening, the Israeli military warned residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate for “your safety and the safety of your loved ones.”
“You are located near Hezbollah interests,” Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said. X’s post said:A map and designated streets and buildings are included. This warning is identical to one the IDF sent to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip ahead of a new offensive.
IDF chief spokesman Daniel Hagari warned Friday night that Hezbollah has developed land-based anti-ship missiles that pose a “clear and present danger to global shipping lanes” and Israel’s strategic infrastructure.
He added that the Israeli Air Force was patrolling near Beirut airport and “will not allow enemy aircraft carrying weapons to land.”
Early Saturday morning, the IDF said it was carrying out “targeted strikes” against Hezbollah weapons stored in the basement of a civilian building in the Dahiyeh district, a southern suburb of Beirut.
The scale of the attack targeting Nasrallah risks provoking a strong response from Hezbollah and Iran. The IDF said Hezbollah fired at least 65 rockets toward Israel on Friday night.
Nasrallah’s role in the so-called resistance axis of Iran-backed militant groups has grown in importance since the United States assassinated Iran’s most powerful commander, Qassem Soleimani, in 2020.
The 64-year-old priest rarely appears in public and has spent most of the past two decades in hiding. He regularly gives public speaking engagements, but always from undisclosed locations via video link. The site of the strike was not publicly known to be a Hezbollah headquarters.
The Israeli attack came less than two hours after Netanyahu failed to mention efforts by the United States and France to broker a ceasefire with Hezbollah during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly. It could attack anywhere and branded the United Nations a “swamp of anti-Semitic bile.”
He later interrupted his visit to New York to return to Israel on Friday evening, highlighting the potential significance of the events unfolding in Lebanon. Israel’s prime minister rarely travels on the Sabbath.
“As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice. Israel has every right to eliminate this threat and return our citizens safely home. “This is exactly what we are doing,” he said.
Netanyahu’s speech, which was met with the exit of other delegations and cheers from his supporters, came after the United States and France proposed a 21-day ceasefire in a last-ditch attempt to prevent hostilities from escalating into full-scale war.
In a 30-minute speech, twice the time allotted for the speaker, Netanyahu pledged to continue the pressure on Hezbollah and claimed Israel would also continue its offensive in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed and Israeli hostages held there are freed.
