Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is cutting short his visit to the United States and returning to Israel following a major airstrike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut. The announcement came after Netanyahu addressed the United Nations in New York, where he was supposed to stay until Saturday night, after the Jewish sabbath.
The Israeli military confirmed it struck Hezbollah’s central headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut, causing massive explosions that levelled several buildings and sent clouds of smoke into the sky. This escalation follows Netanyahu’s vow at the UN that Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah would continue, dimming hopes for a cease-fire to prevent an all-out war.
Three major Israeli TV channels reported that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was the target of the strikes, but these claims have not been confirmed by The Associated Press (AP), and the Israeli army declined to comment. The scale of the attack suggests there may have been high-value targets inside the buildings struck.
In a significant shift from past military engagements, Israel has intensified its focus on eliminating Hezbollah’s senior leadership during the recent week of conflict. The bombings on Friday marked some of the most powerful strikes in Beirut in over a year, with Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli army spokesman, confirming that the main Hezbollah headquarters, located beneath residential buildings, was targeted.
Reports indicate that four buildings in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Dahiyeh were reduced to rubble, with the shockwave felt as far as 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of the capital. Emergency services rushed to the scene, responding to the devastation as sirens echoed throughout the area.