Israel unleashes strikes on Beirut, Hezbollah leader as target

Israel unleashed a series of strikes on Beirut, with military stating Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was the intended target but it is “too early to say whether the attack was successful,” said a senior Israeli official.

The attacked occurred in the city’s southern suburbs known as Dahiyeh, a densely populated area with a strong Hezbollah presence, as many of the group’s leadership is based there.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health said that at least two people were killed and 76 injured, with around a total of six buildings completely destroyed.

Hours before the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu had addressed the United Nations, promising that Israel’s “intensified campaign against Hezbollah over the past two weeks would continue.”

The Iranian embassy in Beirut said the Israeli strike Friday “changes the rules of the game,” and warned that Israel would be “punished” for what the country’s president described as a “shameless war crime.”

US President Joe Biden has commented on the attack, stating the US had “no knowledge of or participation in” the attack, adding that Israel informed the US they were taking military actions only moments before the strike, “that does not qualify as a heads up,” said one US official.

This comes after Israel has said it is considering a “US-led ceasefire proposal that would see a 21-day pause in fighting in Lebanon,” as fears rise of a fully-fledged war between Israel and Hezbollah that risks escalating into a wider regional conflict.