The Israel Defense Forces have conducted a new wave of strikes in Lebanon, allegedly targeting the infrastructure of the Hezbollah movement, including the organization's central headquarters in a residential area of Beirut.
According to some media reports, the main target of the attack in Beirut was the top leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.
West Jerusalem confirmed bombing an underground compound belonging to the militant group in the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut but did not confirm or deny that Nasrallah was the primary target.
Sources cited by Iran’s Tasnim news agency and Reuters reported that Nasrallah was safe, but Israeli media maintain that the Hezbollah leader was likely killed in the strike.
28 September 2024
The residents of the Dahiyeh neighborhood and other densely populated areas of Beirut are struggling to find refuge from Israeli strikes, with many reportedly gathering at the public beach of Ramlet al-Baida and in the capital’s Martyrs’ Square, according to Al Jazeera.
Israel is once again attacking “Hezbollah terror targets in Beirut,” the IDF has announced.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to have addressed Israel’s ongoing srikes in Beirut at a Shabbat event shortly before his departure from New York.
”Our enemies thought we were like a spider web. That’s what one of them used to say,” Netanyahu said, apparently referring to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who has repeatedly called Israel a spider web.
”What spider web are they talking about? We have tendons of steel — both of will and power,” he added. “The people of Israel live, and when they need to, they also kick. Today we kicked properly, but not just today. And we will continue to do so.”
The IDF continues to attack Hezbollah targets in Beirut, with local media and witnesses sharing videos of explosions illuminating the night sky.
Hezbollah has accused the Israeli military of indiscriminately bombing civilian homes, denying IDF claims about underground weapons storage. “The enemy’s false claims regarding the existence of weapons or arsenals in civilian structures that were bombed some time ago in the suburbs of Beirut are untrue,” the movement stated.
The IDF has issued another order for civilians in Beirut to evacuate several areas in the Dahiyeh suburb ahead of imminent strikes, according to Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman.
“You are located near Hezbollah interests and for your safety and the safety of your loved ones, you are obliged to evacuate the buildings immediately and move away from them at a distance of no less than 500 meters,” Adraee said.
“We will continue to operate to precisely dismantle Hezbollah’s offensive capabilities. Hezbollah has strategically embedded weapons in civilian areas, putting Lebanese civilians at risk in order to harm Israeli civilians,” the IDF stated in the announcement, claiming that Israel’s “war is with Hezbollah, not the people of Lebanon.”
The IDF has launched another round of strikes against “additional terrorist targets” in the Bekaa valley some 30 kilometers east of Beirut.
Israeli jets have launched another round of strikes in the Lebanese capital, targeting residential buildings allegedly used as weapons production and storage facilities, and as key command centers. “Following precise IDF intelligence, the IAF is currently conducting strikes on strategic terror targets belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the area of Beirut,” the IDF has claimed.
The Israeli air strikes in Beirut have been going on for more than two hours, according to media reports.
27 September 2024
The Israeli military claims to have “eliminated” the alleged commander of Hezbollah’s missile unit in southern Lebanon, Muhammad Ali Ismail, and his deputy, Hossein Ahmed Ismail.
“The IAF struck and eliminated the terrorist Muhammad Ali Ismail, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Missile Unit in southern Lebanon, and his deputy, the terrorist Hussein Ahmad Ismail,” the IDF said in a statement, further claiming that “additional Hezbollah commanders and operatives were eliminated alongside them.”
The United States had “no knowledge of or participation in” Israeli strikes on Beirut, President Joe Biden has said. “We’re gathering more information. I’ll have more to say when we have more information,” Biden told journalists after he arrived in Delaware for the weekend.
Israel has launched a series of “targeted strikes on weapons belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization” in the Dahieh neighborhood of Beirut, the IDF has announced.
The death toll from Israel’s bombing of southern Beirut has risen to six, with 91 others wounded, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. However, the number of casualties is expected to increase, as the strike destroyed six residential buildings, burying many people under the rubble.
The IDF has conducted another round of strikes against alleged “terror targets” in southern Lebanon.
“Over the past hour, IAF fighter jets struck dozens of Hezbollah launchers aimed toward Israeli civilians, as well as buildings in which weapons were stored,” it said in a statement.
The leader of the Shia Hezbollah movement, Hassan Nasrallah, is alive following a “massive” airstrike on the group’s central headquarters earlier in the day, Reuters reported, citing a source close to the movement. Iran’s Tasnim news agency also reported that Nasrallah was safe.
Axios reported on Friday, citing an Israeli source, that Nasrallah was the target of the operation and that the Israeli military was checking whether he had been affected by the strike. West Jerusalem did not officially confirm this information. Israeli media maintain that the Hezbollah leader was likely killed in the strike.
The IDF has ordered civilians in Beirut to flee the Dahieh neighborhood, warning them of imminent strikes.
“In the last hour, we have contacted the residents of the three buildings in the Dahieh – these residents are above and near Hezbollah’s strategic assets and must evacuate immediately for their safety and security,” spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said.
Iran has condemned Israeli strikes on the densely-populated southern suburbs of Beirut, warning of a “dangerous escalation.”
“This reprehensible crime... represents a dangerous escalation that changes the rules of the game,” the Iranian embassy in Beirut said in a post on X, adding that Israel “will receive the appropriate punishment.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign ministry condemned it as a “brutal terrorist airstrike on several residential buildings in Beirut.”
The strike came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the UN General Assembly. According to the Times of Israel, Netanyahu was in the middle of a press conference when his military aide, Major General Roman Gofman, whispered something in his ear. A few minutes later, the prime minister abruptly ended the briefing and left.
Netanyahu’s office later released a photo of the prime minister in his New York hotel room, reportedly issuing the order to strike the Hezbollah HQ.
The Israel Defense Forces have conducted an airstrike on the Lebanese capital, targeting the main headquarters of the Shia militia located beneath a civilian neighborhood.
”Moments ago, the Israel Defense Forces carried out a precise strike on the Central Headquarters of the Hezbollah terror organization... taking the necessary action to protect our people so that Israeli families can live in their homes, safely and securely,” IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated.
Videos of thick black smoke rising in plumes from the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut have been circulating on Lebanese media and social networks.