Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
An intense wave of Israeli strikes hit Beirut on September 27 afternoon with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) saying it had struck Hezbollah’s main headquarters in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, known as Dahieh.
Hebrew media reported that the target of the strikes was none other than Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah.
Following the strikes, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in an unusual video statement that the command center was built underneath civilian buildings in Dahieh. However, he did not mention whether Nasrallah was a target or was believed to be present at the site.
The strikes flattened six buildings in the suburb, sending thick clouds of smoke over the capital. Footage from the scene showed extensive destruction there.
A Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah’s top officials are usually gathered at the site that was targeted. Meanwhile, sources close to Hezbollah told AFP and Reuters Nasrallah was alive, while Reuters cited an Iranian security official saying Tehran was checking his status.
The strike was reportedly conducted conducted by the 119th “Bat” Squadron, utilizing F-16I Sufa jet-fighters that dropped. advanced American-made 5,000-pound bunker buster bombs.
Initial estimates from Israeli defense officials suggest that around 300 people were killed, potentially including Nasrallah and his daughter, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz. Reports from the Lebanese health ministry recorded at least six fatalities and 91 injuries as of September 28, though most of the rubble has not been searched yet and the number is almost certain to rise.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left a briefing with Israeli reporters after his speech at the United Nations as the news of the strike emerged. The prime minister later announced that he would cut short his visit to the United States and would depart for Israel.
His office released a photograph that it said showed him approving the strike from his New York hotel room, evidently before he addressed the UN.
A Pentagon spokesperson said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant as the operation was ongoing.
“The United States was not involved in this operation and we had no advance warning,” spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.
Nevertheless, a U.S. official told The Times of Israel that Israel notified Washington about the attack after warplanes were already in the air and the operation was in motion.
The attack on Hezbollah headquarters was followed by another series of strikes on Dahieh early on September 28. The IDF said that the strikes targeted “strategic Hezbollah” sites, including weapon manufacturing facilities, buildings where weapons were stored and additional headquarters. Casualties were reported.
The confrontation between Israel and Lebanon broke out after the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip last October, with Hezbollah and its allies launching near-daily attacks against the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in support of the Hamas Movement and other armed factions in Palestinian enclave.
The IDF escalated its strikes against Lebanon earlier this week to a level not seen since the war of 2006. So far, the aerial campaign has claimed the lives of more than 700 people.
In response, Hezbollah expanded its attacks deep into northern Israel, hitting targets located more than 50 kilometers away from the Lebanese border.
All in all, the confrontation has so far resulted in 26 civilian deaths in Israel and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as well as the deaths of at least 22 soldiers and security officers. On the Lebanese side, more than 1,900 people have been killed, including more than 500 members of Hezbollah.
The assassination of Nasrallah, if confirmed, could spark and all-out war between Israel an the Iran-led Axis of Resistance in the Middle East.
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