Israel targets Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut attack: top US official

 

Israel targeted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an attack Friday in Beirut, according to a senior US official.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, at least two people were killed and 76 others were injured in the strike.

Nasrallah and some of his lieutenants were in Beirut on a short visit when the strike took place, according to the official. Israel let the United States know less than an hour before the attack that it would target Nasrallah, the official said.

It is unclear whether the strike was successful.

After speaking at the United Nations on Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will return to Israel on Friday evening, earlier than expected, according to his office.

“Don’t let Nasrallah drag Lebanon into the abyss,” Netanyahu said during his speech at the United Nations an hour before the attack. “We are not at war with you. We are at war with Hezbollah, which has taken control of your country and threatens to destroy ours. As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice. … Israel must defeat Hezbollah”

A huge plume of smoke was seen above a residential area of ​​Beirut on Friday as Israel claimed to have struck Hezbollah’s central headquarters in the city.

“A short while ago, the Israel Defense Forces carried out a precise attack on the central headquarters of the terrorist organization Hezbollah which served as the epicenter of Hezbollah terrorism,” the IDF said in a statement, before accusing Hezbollah of intentionally building the headquarters amidst civilian infrastructure. .

“Hezbollah’s central headquarters was intentionally built under residential buildings in the heart of Dahia in Beirut, as part of Hezbollah’s strategy to use the Lebanese people as human shields,” the IDF said.

The United States was not involved or given advance warning of the Israeli attack, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Friday. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to his Israeli counterpart as the operation was “already underway,” Singh said.

“The operation took place in the last few hours. We are still evaluating the event and have no further information or further details to provide at this time,” Singh said.

Exchanges between Israel and Lebanon continued on Thursday. More than 700 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since Monday, according to Lebanese officials.

According to the United Nations, more than 118,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon since Monday

“The relentless airstrikes have pushed tens of thousands of people from the south, Beirut’s southern suburbs and the Bekaa to safer places in Beirut, Mount Lebanon and the north,” the United Nations said in a statement on Friday. “Movements peaked on both Monday and Tuesday, creating congestion and chaos. They have continued more gradually as many people are still looking for homes and shelter.”

A missile was fired in a Beirut neighborhood on Thursday, according to video released by the Israeli army.

The attack, which hit a southern suburb of Beirut, killed the head of one of Hezbollah’s air units, Mohammad Surur, according to the military.

Separately, at least 19 people were injured after a missile fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels was intercepted over central Israel late Thursday, according to Israeli authorities.

Speaking at the United Nations on Friday, Netanyahu sought to rally international support as Israeli officials say they are planning a potential ground invasion into Lebanon.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the number of civilian victims of Israeli attacks in recent days “absolutely shocking” and called on both Israel and Hezbollah to stop cross-border attacks.

France is “opposed to Lebanon becoming Gaza again,” Macron said.

Reacting to Netanyahu’s comments on Thursday, in which the Israeli prime minister signaled that he was not willing to accept a ceasefire, Macron said he believed those remarks were not definitive.

“We will continue our contacts and our close coordination with our American partners, all our mobilized partners, including Canada, and by communicating with the Israelis ourselves, we will do everything we can to ensure that this proposal is accepted,” Macron said .

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib renewed calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon amid concerns that Israel is preparing for a ground invasion.

[ABC News]

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