Israel announces a successful strike on Hezbollah’s headquarters, escalating tensions in the region. Read more about the operation and its potential repercussions for Middle East stability.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a “major” airstrike in the Lebanese capital on Friday targeted a Hezbollah underground headquarters.
Videos of thick black smoke rising from Dahiyeh, a Beirut suburb, have been circulating in Lebanese media and on social networks.
IDF spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari told reporters on Friday that the Israeli military was responsible for the bombing, and that the Shiite militia headquarters was in a civilian neighborhood.
Hagari did not confirm or deny rumors that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was at the purported headquarters at the time of the attack.
The attack came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the UN General Assembly. According to the Times of Israel, Netanyahu was in the middle of a press conference when his military adviser, Major General Roman Govman, whispered something in his ear. A few minutes later, the prime minister abruptly ended the meeting and left the room.
Netanyahu’s office later released a photo of the prime minister allegedly ordering the attack on Hezbollah headquarters in a New York hotel room.
Al Jazeera’s Beirut correspondent described Friday’s blast as “an unprecedented series of multiple, loud and consecutive explosions” that targeted an area “home to hundreds of thousands of people.”
The bombing came just after thousands gathered in Dahieh on Thursday for the funeral of three Hezbollah members killed in an Israeli airstrike.
The Israel Defense Forces claimed to have killed Mohammad Hussein Suroor, also known as Abu Saleh, head of Hezbollah’s drone, cruise missile and air defense division. The group finally confirmed Slou’s death on Friday morning.
Al-Arabiya TV reported that Israeli airstrikes had destroyed at least six buildings.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing Lebanese security sources, said Nasrallah was alive and well.
