The Israeli military launched a massive airstrike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in southern Beirut, targeting the militant group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, on Friday. The strike was described as the heaviest bombardment in nearly a year of conflict which levelled multiple buildings in the Dahiyeh suburb, according to the Guardian.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said Hezbollah’s headquarters was concealed under civilian buildings in the densely populated area.The strike levelled four buildings and caused widespread destruction across the southern suburbs.
The assault makes the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah more tense, with the Israeli military aiming to eliminate one of Iran’s most important regional allies. Nasrallah, the long-standing leader of Hezbollah, has been a key figure in the so-called “axis of resistance,” and his presence on Israel’s northern border has long acted as a deterrent to Israeli actions against Iran.
The Lebanese health ministry reported two deaths and 76 injuries, with the toll expected to rise as rescue workers continue to clear the rubble.
Video footage from the strike suggests the use of ground-penetrating “bunker buster” munitions, as vertical jets of flame were visible in the aftermath of the explosions. Witnesses described seeing large cracks opening in the ground, and ambulances were seen rushing to the scene.
Hezbollah denied that its leader was targeted. “There is no truth to any statement about the Israeli attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs,” the group’s media office said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, cut short his visit to the United States following the UN General Assembly to return to Israel. His office described the operation as a necessary step in Israel’s fight against Hezbollah. “Israel is doing what every sovereign state would do to protect its people,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari claimed that Hezbollah had intentionally hidden its headquarters beneath residential buildings to use civilians as human shields.
The strikes came just hours after Netanyahu’s speech at the UN, where he vowed that Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah would continue despite international calls for a ceasefire. Lebanon’s prime minister, Najib Mikati, condemned the strikes as “mocking international appeals for peace” and ordered the full mobilisation of emergency resources in Beirut.
Iran’s embassy in Beirut said that the airstrike was a “game-changing escalation” and threatened to punish Israel.
Over 90,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon this week alone, and the death toll from Israeli strikes has surpassed 720, according to health authorities.