Israel launched a series of air strikes on southern Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, on Friday, targeting what it described as Hezbollah’s headquarters.
The strikes sent massive clouds of smoke over the densely populated area, which has long been a stronghold of the Iran-backed group.
The explosions echoed throughout the Mediterranean city, causing panic in the residential neighborhood that has been Hezbollah’s main base for decades. These were the most intense strikes on Beirut since Israel shifted its military focus from Gaza to Lebanon, intensifying its bombardment of Hezbollah positions across the country and resulting in hundreds of deaths.
Hezbollah began engaging Israeli forces along Lebanon’s border a day after its ally, Hamas, launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7.
In a speech to world leaders on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the fight against Hezbollah would continue until Israel’s northern border was secure.
“Oh my God, what a strike. It felt like the building would collapse on me,” said Abir Hammoud, a teacher in her 40s living in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Ahmad Ahmad, in his 60s, said he fled his home after the strikes, describing them as feeling “like an earthquake.”
A source close to Hezbollah reported that the strikes flattened six buildings, resulting in two deaths and 76 injuries. According to Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari, the strikes targeted Hezbollah’s “central headquarters” in southern Beirut. Israeli media suggested Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was the intended target, though the source close to the group confirmed Nasrallah was unharmed.
Nasrallah, revered among his Shiite supporters, commands a powerful arsenal that surpasses Lebanon’s national army. He has rarely appeared in public since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, remaining in hiding to avoid assassination.
The strikes came shortly after Netanyahu addressed the UN General Assembly, where he reaffirmed his commitment to continue military action against Hezbollah and pursue “victory” against Hamas. He also reiterated Israel’s determination to fight Hezbollah until thousands of Israelis displaced by ongoing cross-border fighting can safely return home.
Following the Beirut air strikes, Hezbollah responded by launching more rockets into Israel, which reportedly hit a house and car in the northern city of Safed. No casualties were immediately reported.
The violence in Lebanon has triggered international concern, with the UN warning of the region’s deadliest period in decades. “We are witnessing the deadliest period in Lebanon in a generation,” said UN humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza.
In his speech, Netanyahu also addressed the conflict in Gaza, vowing that Israel would continue its offensive against Hamas until the group was completely neutralized.
Efforts to mediate a ceasefire in Gaza, which diplomats say is crucial to halting the conflict in Lebanon and preventing a broader regional war, have so far been unsuccessful.
Hamas’s October 7 assault resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Gaza have killed at least 41,534 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The UN has described these figures as reliable.
The escalating violence has raised concerns of broader conflict in the Middle East, with Iran-backed groups vowing to continue their fight against Israel. In response to Israel’s air strikes on Beirut, Iran’s embassy in Lebanon condemned the attack as a “dangerous escalation” and warned that Israel would face consequences. “This reprehensible crime… changes the rules of the game,” the embassy said, promising that Israel “will receive the appropriate punishment.”