Israel has launched its most intense air assault on Beirut in nearly a year of conflict with Hezbollah, demolishing several buildings in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.
The Israeli military stated that the strikes were aimed at Hezbollah’s central headquarters, signaling a significant escalation in hostilities.
Late Friday afternoon, six thunderous explosions echoed throughout Beirut, with massive plumes of smoke rising high into the sky, visible from as far as Batroun, a city about an hour’s drive north.
Israeli media outlets speculated that the strikes were an attempt to eliminate Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
While Israeli forces were still verifying whether Nasrallah had been hit, sources close to Hezbollah told Reuters that he had survived the attack.
The air raid came in the wake of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the United Nations General Assembly, during which he reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to continue its offensive against Hezbollah.
The decision to target Nasrallah, even if unsuccessful, marks a bold and dramatic escalation. Nasrallah, widely regarded as Iran’s most influential regional ally, plays a pivotal role in what is often called the “axis of resistance.”
The force of the explosions was so intense that windows shattered and homes shook in settlements located nearly 18 miles north of Beirut. Witnesses near the scene, quoted by Lebanon’s daily *L’Orient-Le Jour*, described deep cracks appearing in the ground due to the sheer power of the blasts. While there were no immediate reports of casualties, emergency services were seen rushing to the site of the strikes with sirens blaring.
Spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, addressed the public in a video statement, emphasizing that the targeted Hezbollah headquarters were “intentionally built under residential buildings” in the densely populated Dahieh neighborhood of southern Beirut.
He claimed that this was part of Hezbollah’s broader strategy of using civilians as human shields.
Hagari added, “Israel is doing what every sovereign state in the world would do if they had a terror organisation that seeks their destruction on their border, taking the necessary action to protect our people so that Israeli families can live in their homes, safely and securely.”
Shortly before the attack, thousands of mourners had gathered in Dahieh to attend the funerals of three Hezbollah fighters, including a senior commander, who had been killed in earlier Israeli strikes.
Earlier on Friday, Israeli air raids across southern Lebanon claimed approximately 25 lives, raising the death toll for the week to more than 720, according to Lebanese health authorities.
The IDF reported that its forces conducted multiple strikes over two hours, targeting Hezbollah positions in cities like Sidon and Nabatieh. Israel said these operations were directed at Hezbollah rocket launchers and other military infrastructure. In retaliation, Hezbollah launched rockets at the northern Israeli city of Tiberias.
