Israeli airstrikes on a southern Beirut suburb on Friday reportedly aimed at Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to Israeli media. The strikes followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address at the U.N. General Assembly.
Reports from Israel’s three main television networks claimed that Nasrallah was the target of the attack, though the Israeli military has not commented on these speculations. However, the Associated Press indicated that the scale and timing of the explosion suggested a high-value individual was present in the building hit by the airstrike.
Hezbollah sources have denied any harm to Nasrallah, confirming through Press TV that he is in a secure location. Similarly, Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, was reported safe, with sources affirming that no senior Hezbollah leaders were killed in the attack.
The airstrike, which razed six buildings in the Dahiya neighborhood, claimed the lives of at least two civilians and injured 76 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Lebanese media reported that civil defense teams were working to extinguish fires and rescue those trapped under the rubble.
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The Israeli military reportedly used F-35 jets armed with bunker-buster bombs in the operation, and Israeli officials notified the U.S. shortly before the attack took place.
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, condemned the airstrike, calling on the international community to act against Israel’s “war of extermination.” He criticized Israel for ignoring global appeals for a ceasefire, accusing the country of escalating violence against Lebanon.