Source: Mondoweiss.net
Israel completely flattened at least six residential buildings in Beirut’s southern Dahiya district with 2000-pound bombs amid claims that Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah was the target.
Israel conducted an unprecedented airstrike on Beirut’s southern Dahiya district on Friday evening in what Israeli media described as an attempt to assassinate Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Hasan Nasrallah.
The strike targeted and leveled six residential buildings. The Israeli army’s spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, released a video statement shortly after the strike claiming that the buildings contained Hezbollah’s “Central Headquarters.” Lebanese media reported that over 10 Israeli missiles were dropped in less than three minutes on the complex, situated in the Haret Hreik area in Dahiya. The Israeli army’s radio said that Israeli F-35 fighter jets dropped 2000-pound bunker-buster bombs on the residential buildings.
Axios reported that high-ranking Hezbollah leaders were meeting in the targeted place, while an Israeli army official stated that the available information is not enough to determine whether Nasrallah was killed or not. The Iranian news agency, Tasnim, quoted Lebanese sources saying that Nasrallah was in a safe place, denying the Israeli claims, while Reuters and AFP quoted sources described as “close to Hezbollah” saying that Nasrallah was alive.
Israeli reports indicated that Netanyahu had approved the strike before leaving for New York to attend the UN General Assembly meeting. Netanyahu cut his New York visit short to return to Israel upon news of the strike.
While Israeli media quoted an unnamed Israeli official saying that Israel informed the U.S. about its intention to conduct the strike, Axios quoted U.S. officials denying these claims. For its part, the Pentagon said in a statement that the U.S. has been sharing intelligence with Israel throughout the current war, but that it never took part in either the latest strike in Dahiya or previous ones in the southern Beirut district.
Meanwhile, Lebanese first responders continue rescue efforts to pull out survivors from under the rubble. As of the time of writing, the number of civilians killed has not been specified.
The Israeli army’s radio quoted a military source saying that any person who was present in the targeted buildings “will not come out alive.” The Lebanese Health Minister, Firas al-Abyad, said that some of the buildings targeted were “full of civilian residents.”…