Hezbollah leader targeted by an Israeli attack in Beirut. The order was given directly by Netanyahu
Israeli attack in Beirut Photo: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a strike on Sunday against Hezbollah's “chief of staff” in Beirut, his press office indicated, with the Lebanese Ministry of Health confirming the attack that left one dead and 21 wounded, according to AFP, taken by Agerpres.
“A short time ago, the Israeli army attacked Hezbollah's chief of staff in central Beirut, who was leading the strengthening and arming of the terrorist organization,” Netanyahu's office said in a statement. The Israeli prime minister “ordered the attack on the recommendation of the defense minister and the army chief of staff”, the document also says.
Earlier, the Israeli military announced that it had carried out “a precision strike targeting a key Hezbollah terrorist in Beirut”, adding that it would release more details later.
The attack hit the third and fourth floors of a nine-story building, around which ambulances gathered, while rescue teams inspected the apartments, an AFP journalist found on the spot. The official Lebanese news agency reported “significant injuries and damage” in this densely populated area.
Israel resumes attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The pro-Iranian militia is accused of violating the ceasefire agreement
The fifth attack since the armistice
This is the first attack on the southern outskirts of Beirut, a stronghold of Hezbollah, since June 5 and the fifth since the ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist group, which came into force at the end of November 2024.
During the morning, Prime Minister Netanyahu had warned that his country would do “everything necessary” to prevent a strengthening of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. “We continue to strike at terrorism on multiple fronts,” he told a cabinet meeting.
Israel has recently stepped up its strikes in southern Lebanon, saying it is targeting the Iran-backed group, which it accuses of rearming in violation of the ceasefire agreement. The Lebanese authorities, in turn, regularly accuse Israel of violating the cease-fire and of continuing strikes on the territory of Lebanon, where it would continue to occupy five strategic points in the south of the Lebanese territory.
The US is pressuring the Lebanese government to compel Hezbollah, greatly weakened after a year of conflict with Israel, to hand over its weapons under the ceasefire agreement, which the Islamist group has so far refused to do.
