Ahmed Al Kurdi – Reuters
People gather near the site of what security sources said was a strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, on July 30, 2024.
Beirut
CNN
—
Israel says it Strikes started in BeirutLebanon, targeting a Hezbollah leader blamed for a deadly attack in Israeli-occupied territory. Golan Heights.
Lebanon’s state news agency reported that at least one person was killed and several others were wounded in the raid. The injured, some with serious wounds, were taken to nearby hospitals.
“Hezbollah crossed a red line,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a social media post minutes after the Israeli military claimed responsibility for the strike on Tuesday.
“Every dog will have its day,” Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a separate post on his official X social media account.
The Israel Defense Forces said it carried out a “pinpoint strike in Beirut, against the commander responsible for the murder of children in Majdal Shams and the murder of many other Israeli civilians.”
It did not provide details on how the strike was carried out.
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The National News Agency said the attack was carried out by a drone that fired three missiles.
The Israeli army statement came shortly after Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV reported hearing a loud explosion in the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital.
The area is a densely populated part of Beirut and a stronghold of the Iran-backed militant group.
A Reuters video showed the aftermath of the air strike in southern Beirut. Rescuers and bystanders could be seen walking through streets covered in rubble, bricks and other debris. Several vehicles parked on one street appeared to have been damaged by falling debris from surrounding buildings.
In a video obtained by CNN, huge clouds of smoke were seen rising from the area of the strike.
Israel vowed earlier this week that Hezbollah would “pay the price” for a rocket attack on a soccer stadium that killed 12 children and wounded 44 people in the town of Majdal Shams near the Syrian and Lebanese borders.
The attack on Saturday has raised fears of a full-scale war in the region.
Israel informed the United States before carrying out the strike, according to a source familiar with the matter. The source said the notification was conveyed through security channels, but did not say when.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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