Multiple explosions were reported in the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut on Friday evening after Israeli airstrikes targeted the central headquarters of Hezbollah.
The Jerusalem Post stated that the strike hit a building situated beneath residential areas, part of Israel’s ongoing campaign against Hezbollah’s leadership. The status of Hezbollah’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was thought to be inside during the attack, remains uncertain.
A senior Israeli security official warned on army radio, “Anyone in the Hezbollah headquarters will not get out alive,” emphasizing the extensive destruction in Dahiyeh.
Ambulances were dispatched to the site shortly after the strikes. Despite significant damage, sources close to Hezbollah told Reuters that Nasrallah had survived the attack, a claim echoed by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency and another Hezbollah official.
IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari highlighted the strategic significance of the target, stating, “Hezbollah’s central headquarters was deliberately constructed beneath residential buildings in Dahiyeh as part of their strategy to use Lebanese civilians as human shields.” He noted that the facility played a crucial role in Hezbollah’s terrorist operations.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant oversaw the strike from the Israel Air Force command center, alongside Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in New York at the time, returned to Israel after authorizing the operation.
The Pentagon later clarified that the U.S. was not informed in advance about the airstrikes, with President Joe Biden confirming he was unaware of the operation prior to its execution.
Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar TV reported further airstrikes in southern Beirut, areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. Last week, Israeli strikes resulted in the deaths of 16 Hezbollah commanders, including notable figures like Ibrahim Aqil and drone unit chief Muhammad Hossein Sarur.
In the aftermath of the recent attack, ambulances and civil defense units rushed to assist at the explosion sites across the southern suburbs.
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