BEIRUT. Israel launched a series of massive airstrikes on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut on Friday, in an attack aimed at the militant group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah. The strikes, which caused a series of explosions, leveled several high-rise apartment buildings in the densely populated Haret Hreik district, marking the largest blast to hit the Lebanese capital in the past year. Lebanon’s health ministry reported that at least six people were killed and 91 others wounded, with rescue teams still searching through the rubble. The death toll is expected to rise.
Two anonymous sources, including a U.S. official, confirmed that Nasrallah was the target of the airstrikes. However, it remains unclear whether he was present at the site during the attack, and Hezbollah has yet to comment on the incident. The Israeli military, for its part, has not confirmed whether Nasrallah was the intended target, with a spokesperson stating only that the strikes hit Hezbollah’s main underground headquarters.
Footage from the scene shows rescue workers navigating through the wreckage of six apartment towers reduced to rubble, with large slabs of concrete and twisted metal scattered across the area. Thick black and orange smoke billowed into the sky, and the impact of the explosions rattled windows and shook houses as far as 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Beirut.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in the United States addressing the U.N., immediately cut short his trip following news of the strikes. During his U.N. address, Netanyahu had vowed to continue Israel’s intensified campaign against Hezbollah, saying, “We will continue degrading Hezbollah until our goals are achieved.” His remarks came as hopes for a U.S.-backed ceasefire dwindled.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli army spokesperson, confirmed that the strikes were aimed at Hezbollah’s main headquarters, located beneath residential buildings. The massive explosions that followed suggest that Israel may have used 2,000-pound U.S.-made “Bunker Buster” bombs, specifically designed to hit underground targets. Richard Weir, a crisis and weapons expert from Human Rights Watch, noted that the explosions were consistent with that type of weaponry.
Four hours after the attack, Hezbollah had still not issued an official statement on the strikes. Instead, the group announced that it had launched a salvo of rockets at the Israeli city of Safed in retaliation for what it called “the barbaric Israeli violation of cities, villages, and civilians.” Israeli authorities reported that a house and a car in Safed were hit, and a 68-year-old woman sustained mild shrapnel wounds.
In the hours following the initial blast, Israel launched additional airstrikes on other areas of Beirut’s southern suburbs, targeting Hezbollah rocket launchers and weapons depots. Residents in three buildings were warned to evacuate shortly before these strikes, according to Israeli military sources.
Israel’s air campaign against Hezbollah has intensified over the past week, with over 720 people in Lebanon, including dozens of women and children, killed by the ongoing strikes. The Israeli military has said it is determined to end more than 11 months of Hezbollah fire into its territory. A pre-dawn strike in Chebaa, a predominantly Sunni town on the border, killed nine members of the same family, according to Lebanon’s state news agency.
The Israeli government has not ruled out the possibility of a ground invasion, with thousands of troops now stationed along the Lebanese border. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden clarified that the U.S. had no prior knowledge of or involvement in Israel’s strikes. The White House added that Biden has instructed his national security team to review whether additional measures are needed to secure U.S. interests in the region.
Despite the strikes, Hezbollah remains defiant. In a funeral for three Hezbollah members killed in earlier airstrikes, thousands of mourners marched through the streets of Beirut’s suburbs. “We will never accept humiliation,” they chanted, waving Hezbollah’s yellow flags. Hussein Fadlallah, Hezbollah’s top official in Beirut, declared that no matter how many of their commanders are killed, the group will continue to fight. “We will not abandon the support of Palestine, Jerusalem, and oppressed Gaza,” Fadlallah said. “There is no place for neutrality in this battle.”
As the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, the possibility of a full-scale war looms over the region, threatening further instability and civilian suffering on both sides.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
