Israel strikes Hezbollah in huge blast targeting militant group's leader

The Israeli military said it has struck Hezbollahs headquarters in Beirut in a series of massive explosions that targeted the leader of the militant group and leveled multiple highrise apartment buildings The biggest blast to hit the Lebanese capital in the past year appeared likely to push the escalating conflict closer to fullfledged war At least six people were killed and 91 were wounded Lebanons health ministry saidHezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was the target of the strikes on the groups headquarters according to two people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity including one US official The Israeli army declined to comment on who it was targeting It was not immediately clear if Nasrallah was at the site and Hezbollah did not comment on the reportThe death toll is likely to rise significantly as teams are still combing through the rubble of six buildings Israel launched a series of strikes on other areas of the southern suburbs following the initial blastAfter the strikes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly cut short a visit to the United States to return home Hours earlier he addressed the UN vowing that Israels intensified campaign against Hezbollah over the past two weeks would continue further dimming hopes for an internationally backed ceasefireNews of the blasts came as Netanyahu was briefing reporters after his UN address A military aide whispered into his ear and Netanyahu quickly ended the briefing Israeli army spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said the strikes targeted the main Hezbollah headquarters saying it was located underground beneath residential buildingsThe series of blasts at around nightfall reduced six apartment towers to rubble in Haret Hreik a densely populated predominantly Shiite district of Beiruts Dahiyeh suburbs according to Lebanons national news agency A wall of billowing black and orange smoke rose into the sky as windows were rattled and houses shaken some 30 kilometres north of BeirutFootage showed rescue workers clambering over large slabs of concrete surrounded by high piles of twisted metal and wreckage Several craters were visible one with a car toppled into it A stream of residents carrying their belongings were seen fleeing along a main road out of the districtIsrael provided no immediate comment about the type of bomb or how many it used but the resulting explosion levelled an area greater than a city block The Israeli army has in its arsenal 2000 pound Americanmade Bunker Buster guided bombs designed specifically for hitting subterranean targetsRichard Weir crisis and weapons researcher with Human Rights Watch said the blasts were consistent with that class of bombIsraels air forces followed with a new set of strikes early Saturday also in the southern suburbs shortly after an Israeli military spokesman warned residents of three buildings to evacuate saying they were being used by Hezbollah to hide weapons including antiship missilesTo a degree unseen in past conflicts Israel this past week has aimed to eliminate Hezbollahs senior leadership But an attempt to assassinate Nasrallah successful or not would be a major escalation The Pentagon said the US had no advance warning of the strikesFour hours after the strike Hezbollah had still not issued any statement referring to it Instead it announced that it had launched a salvo of rockets at the Israeli city of Safed which it said was in defense of Lebanon and its people and in response to the barbaric Israeli violation of cities villages and civiliansIsrael 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 escalated campaign has killed more than 720 people in Lebanon including dozens of women and children according to Health Ministry statistics A predawn strike Friday in the mainly Sunni border town of Chebaa killed nine members of the same family the state news agency saidThe scope of Israels operation remains unclear but officials have said a ground invasion to push the militant group away from the border is a possibility Israel has moved thousands of troops toward the border in preparationPresident Joe Biden said the US had no knowledge of or participation in Israels strikes The White House said Biden ordered his national security team to assess if further action is needed to beef up security for American interests in the Middle EastAt the UN Netanyahu vowed to continue degrading Hezbollah until Israel achieves its goals His comments dampened hopes for a USbacked call for a 21day truce between Israel and Hezbollah to allow time for a diplomatic solution Hezbollah has not responded to the proposalIranianbacked Hezbollah the strongest armed force in Lebanon began firing rockets into Israel almost immediately after Hamas October 7 attack saying it was a show of support for the Palestinians Since then it and the Israeli military have traded fire almost daily forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes on both sides of the borderIn Gaza Israel aims to dismantle Hamas military and political regime but the goal in Lebanon is to push Hezbollah away from the border said the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to military briefing guidelinesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever