Beirut/Jerusalem – Israel’s military said on Tuesday that it killed Hezbollah’s most senior commander in an airstrike on Beirut in revenge for a cross-border rocket attack that killed 12 young people three days ago, which it blamed on the Lebanese militant group.
A huge blast was heard, and a column of smoke could be seen rising above Beirut’s southern suburbs, which are a stronghold of Iran-backed Hezbollah, at around 7:40 p.m. (1640 GMT), according to a Reuters witness.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that the strike killed Fuad Shukr, who “has the blood of many Israelis on his hands.” Tonight, we demonstrated that our people’s blood has a price, and that our forces can reach any location to accomplish our goal.”
Hezbollah provided no quick response. The group has denied involvement in a missile strike on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, which killed 12 young people on a football field in the Druze community of Majdal Shams.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, 74 people were injured and three were killed in the attack on Hezbollah’s Shura Council, a decision-making body, in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood.
According to Reuters imagery, a multi-story structure in the southern suburb appears to have had its top corner torn off. Charred rubble covered the streets below, where masses had gathered to yell in support of the Hezbollah leader.
Hezbollah has denied involvement in the Golan attack, but claims it fired rockets at a military position in the Golan Heights. The assassination of the youths sparked a high-level Western diplomatic scramble to prevent a dramatic escalation that may inflame the entire Middle East.
UN Special Coordinator Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert called for calm amid rising tensions and urged Israel and Lebanon to use all diplomatic options to avoid violence.
“There is no such thing as a military solution,” she stated.
The strike on Beirut on Tuesday drew broad condemnation from Lebanese officials and Hezbollah’s regional allies, including Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, Syria, and Iran, which supports all three groups.
The White House, which had earlier blamed Saturday’s attack on Hezbollah, reiterated its commitment to Israel’s security against “all Iran-backed threats including Hezbollah” and said it was working on a diplomatic solution.
The Israeli military stated that it had issued no fresh civil defense directives in Israel, implying that Israel did not intend to launch additional strikes right away. An anonymous official told Channel 12 TV that Israel does not desire an all-out conflict.
According to Israeli media, depending on Hezbollah’s reply, the military considered the Beirut strike to be the end of its response to the Golan Heights attack.
The Israeli military said that approximately 25 rockets were launched from southern Lebanon into northern Israel during the day. According to medics, a 30-year-old male was slain in the cooperative settlement of Kibbutz Hagoshrim.
Concerns about escalation.
Lebanon’s foreign minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, said his government denounced the Israeli strike and intended to submit a complaint with the United Nations.
“We were not expecting them to hit Beirut, and they hit Beirut,” he told Reuters, hoping that Hezbollah’s response would not lead to an escalation.
“Hopefully any response will be proportionate and will not be more than that, so that this wave of killing, hitting and shelling will stop,” he told the crowd.
Hours before the raid, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he didn’t think a battle between Hezbollah and Israel was inevitable, but he was concerned about the possibility of escalation.
Hezbollah and Israel, which last fought in a major conflict in 2006, have been exchanging fire since the start of the Gaza war in October, when Hezbollah began firing on Israeli targets in what it claims is sympathy with the Palestinians.
The confrontations have generally been contained to the border region, and both sides have previously stated that they do not seek a larger clash, despite the fact that the fighting has raised concerns about the possibility of a slide into war.
