Israel says Hezbollah HQ struck in huge bombing of Beirut

Beirut, Sep 27 (EFE).- Israel struck the southern suburbs of Beirut with multiple air strikes on Friday, as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it had hit the headquarters of Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.

Loud explosions echoed across the capital and adjacent towns, while huge plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the area from miles around.

Images from the scene showed flattened buildings as emergency workers and ambulances tried to aid survivors.

The IDF said in a statement that its forces had carried out a “precise strike» on Hezbollah’s headquarters, which is located under a residential building in Beirut.

The bombing targeted Dahye, a southern suburb of the city and an important Hezbollah stronghold.

It was the sixth attack on the area since the start of the crossfire between the sides on Oct. 8, 2023 – the day after Israel launched its offensive in the Gaza Strip – and the fourth in the past week.

On Sep 20, more than 50 people were killed in an Israeli bombing that destroyed two buildings in Dahye.

That was followed by three other strikes against senior Hezbollah commanders, one of which failed.

On Thursday, the commander of Hezbollah’s air unit, Muhamad Hosein Sarur, as well as at least one other person, were killed.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which has been simmering since October, severely escalated this month.

A wave of unprecedented explosions targeted personal wireless devices belonging to members of the Lebanese armed political movement on Sep 17 and Sep 18, killing dozens of people and injuring more than 1,000.

Those explosions have been followed by a steadily intensifying Israeli bombing campaign across southern and eastern Lebanon, while Hezbollah has also launched missiles into northern Israel, most of which have been intercepted.

This week alone, more than 700 people have been killed and 120,000 have been displaced.EFE

njd/ks