Israel conducts major escalation by attacking the headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut
On Friday, Israel launched its largest airstrike yet on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon. The strike targeted the militant group’s central command center in Dahiyeh, the densely populated suburb that serves as a stronghold for the militant group. Initial reports indicate six people were killed, while over 90 others received injuries. This is a grave escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
This article next describes all events following the strike, the effects that the strike had on the Hezbollah-Israel war, and all political repercussions of the attack.
The Strike: What happened?
The airstrike was said to happen late Friday and was one of the most aggressive military operations conducted against Hezbollah in Israel’s history. Explosions leveled several high-rise buildings in the suburb of Dahiyeh, a neighborhood known for its pro-Hezbollah affiliation. According to the IDF, the central command center indeed was the primary target, though speculation had begun to surface whether Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah was the target.
According to the Associated Press which quoted two people familiar with the matter, including a US official, it is not clear whether Nasrallah was in the headquarters of Hezbollah when the attack was conducted. The IDF did not confirm nor deny that Nasrallah was the target operation.
Mega Destruction and Casualties
Most importantly, the impact resulted in a devastating amount of destruction; explosions throughout did not only happen in the surrounding areas but in parts of Beirut, as far away as 30 kilometers from the site of the blast. The power of the blasts shattered windows, sent buildings shaking, and black thick smoke filled the air. This is on footage footage showing the extent of the Israeli airstrikes as described by witnesses to be unparalleled in scale.
Ambulances wove through crowded streets in Dahiyeh, their sirens piercing the air as they rushed to respond to emergency calls. Lebanese Health Ministry reports that six people have died, with over 90 wounded and some critically. The residents walked through devastation that levelled buildings with Hezbollah’s central command.
Hezbollah’s Response and Nasrallah’s Condition
Hezbollah made no official release of Hassan Nasrallah’s condition immediately after the strike. News very soon started pouring in the different media houses that Israeli attacks were to kill Nasrallah. Reuters quoted Hezbollah sources saying Nasrallah is “fine” and was not hurt, although the situation is still unclear.
Nasrallah has been in hiding for years due to the renewed threats from Israel. He addresses Hezbollah’s followers and the public through video tapes recorded from secret locations. His security has to be tight because Israeli forces have tried to kill prominent Hezbollah officials in the past.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Response at UN
The airstrike fell at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Netanyahu stood firm as he addressed the international community amid calls for a ceasefire. His speech arrived at precisely the same time that US, European Union, and other Arab countries presented a three-week ceasefire proposal to dampen the violence that is escalating by the minute.
Despite these steps, Netanyahu averred that there was no need for a ceasefire because Israel is focused on achieving “total victory” over Hezbollah and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group controlling the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu presented the strike on Hezbollah’s headquarters as part of the broader campaign to eliminate threats posed by the group against Israeli citizens.
Netanyahu immediately ended his US visit, returning to Israel, after the airstrike to show seriousness of the situation on ground level.
Hezbollah’s Revenge: Rockets Land on Safed
He retaliated in response to the Israeli airstrike by attacking the city of Safed in Israel on Saturday. The armed group fired rockets, which it said were in defence of Lebanon and its people. Hezbollah has often portrayed its operations as defensive missions against the Israeli attacks on Lebanese civilians.
The retaliation issued by Hezbollah marked the conflict between the two sides as an intensified one. According to reports, Israeli military officials confirmed that Hezbollah rockets have targeted civilian areas. No immediate casualties have been reported from the strikes in Safed.
Broader Context of Hezbollah-Israel Conflict
Lebanon has engaged Hezbollah and Israel in a long conflict for nearly five decades, with tensions sometimes bursting into full-scale military confrontations. Hezbollah, founded in the 1980s, is now one of the most powerful political and military organizations in Lebanon, with huge support from Iran’s IRGC. For decades now, Hezbollah has been one of the major military antagonists to Israel.
Clashes are unrelenting at the Israel-Lebanon border as Hezbollah has been shooting rockets into Israeli military positions, with Israel retaliating through airstrikes against Hezbollah targets. However, the recent Israeli assault in Beirut marks a dramatic escalation in the conflict-primarily as it has and is on a scale and target Hezbollah’s central headquarters.
Israel Mounts Military Raids
Within days of the airstrike on Friday, Israel has poured its military might to decrease Hezbollah’s strength. Israeli forces conducted another round of attacks in southern Lebanon targeting buildings as were said to be using them in storage for weapons, among them anti-ship missiles.
The IDF further threatened the residents within the zone to vacate, making the situation more inflammable. Israeli officials emphasized that they have the will and determination to devastate Hezbollah’s military structure and disarm its capabilities for launching attacks inside Israeli territories.
Civil Casualties and Influence on the Region
The war has been brutally harsh on civilians, particularly in Lebanon. Figures from the Lebanese Health Ministry indicate that more than 720 people have been killed as a result of the intensified Israeli airstrikes. These include mainly women and children. Most of the civilian infrastructure is also torn apart, making the already flimsy humanitarian situation in Lebanon more dire.
For instance, international actors called for an immediate ceasefire to continue from the day the conflict began, preventing further civilian casualties. With neither of them showing an indication of backing down, however, the region remains on the brink of yet further escalation.
Conclusion: A Conflict Without an End in Sight
The airstrike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut by Israeli forces has proven to be another turning point for the parties contesting their war and has ratcheted up hostilities, with both Israel and Hezbollah insisting on continuing with their respective military campaigns.
With the situation in Lebanon continuing to deteriorate, the international community continues to have increasing concern regarding the broader implications of this conflict within the Middle East. In the meantime, violence between Israel and Hezbollah has no prospect of disappearing anytime soon, leaving it to the mercy of retaliatory actions and destruction.
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