The Israeli military said Friday it struck the central headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut, where a series of massive explosions leveled multiple buildings and sent clouds of orange and black smoke billowing in the skies in the biggest blasts to hit the Lebanese capital in the past year.
Three major Israeli TV channels said Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was the target of the strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs. The unsourced reports could not immediately be confirmed by The Associated Press, and the army declined comment. But given the size and timing of the blasts, there were strong indications that a senior leader may have been inside the buildings struck.
In a possible further sign of the strikes’ significance, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly cut short a visit to the United States and was returning home instead of waiting until the end of Sabbath on Saturday evening, his office said. Hours earlier, Netanyahu addressed the U.N., vowing that Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah would continue — further dimming hopes for an internationally backed cease-fire.
News of the blasts came as Netanyahu was briefing reporters traveling with him. A military aide whispered into his ear, and Netanyahu quickly ended the briefing.
Israel announced dozens of new air strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon on Tuesday, a day after more than 490 people, including dozens of women and children, were killed in the deadliest bombardment since a devastating war in 2006.
Israeli army spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the strikes targeted the main Hezbollah headquarters, located beneath residential buildings. Six buildings in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Dahiyeh were reduced to rubble, according to Lebanon’s national news agency. The blast rattled windows and shook houses some 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Beirut. Ambulances were seen headed to the scene, sirens wailing.
Officials at a nearby hospital said they received at least 10 wounded, three critically, including a Syrian child.
The Pentagon said Friday the U.S. had no advance warning of the heavy strikes in Beirut.
Israel dramatically intensified its airstrikes in Lebanon this week, saying it is determined to put an end to more than 11 months of Hezbollah fire into its territory. The scope of Israel’s operation remains unclear, but officials have said a ground invasion to push the Terrorist group away from the border is a possibility. Israel has moved thousands of troops toward the border in preparation.
