BEIRUT (AP) — The Israeli army said on Friday that it attacked the headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut, where the explosion sent huge clouds of orange and black smoke into the sky. At least two people died and 76 were injured, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
Three Israeli television channels reported that the target of the bombing was Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrala. However, the reports did not cite a source and could not be confirmed by The Associated Press, and the army declined to comment.
But given the magnitude and timing of the explosion, there are reasons to believe that the target of the bombing was someone important.
Nasrallah has been in hiding for many years and rarely appears in public. He regularly gives speeches, but always via video from secret locations. The bombed location was not publicly known as Hezbollah's main headquarters, although it is located in the group's "security headquarters," a heavily protected area in the neighborhood of Haret Hreik, where the group has offices and hospitals.
Netanyahu decided to return to Israel immediately.
Another apparent sign that the bombing was significant, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly interrupted his trip to the United States and returned immediately to Israel, instead of waiting until the end of the Jewish Shabbat to travel, as announced by his office.
Hours earlier, Netanyahu delivered a speech before the UN General Assembly in which he pledged that Israel will continue its campaign against Hezbollah until achieving its goals, implicitly dismissing the ceasefire that the United States is pushing for.
The news of the bombing emerged while Netanyahu was speaking with the press members traveling with him. A military aide approached him and whispered something in his ear, after which the Israeli Prime Minister ended the session.
How was the Israeli attack on the Hezbollah headquarters?
The explosion was so powerful that it shattered windows and shook homes about 30 kilometers north of Beirut in a residential neighborhood. Ambulances with sirens blaring could be seen heading to the scene.
The spokesperson for the Israeli army, Daniel Hagari, announced the "precise attack" on the Hezbollah headquarters shortly after Netanyahu spoke at the UN General Assembly.
The huge explosions, around dusk on Friday, reduced six buildings to rubble in the neighborhood of Haret Hreik, in the suburb of Dahiyeh in Beirut, according to the Lebanese national news agency.
Images broadcasted by Lebanese television showed several craters —one with a car inside— amidst collapsed buildings in the densely populated neighborhood mostly inhabited by Shia Muslims.
Earlier, an Israeli attack caused the death of a family of nine people in a Lebanese border village, authorities reported.
Israel significantly escalated its airstrikes against Lebanon this week, stating that it is determined to end 11 months of Hezbollah's fire towards its territory. The extent of the Israeli operation is not yet known, but authorities have said that there is a possibility of a ground invasion to push the group away from the border. Israel has deployed thousands of soldiers to the area in preparation.
At least 25 people died in the Israeli attacks carried out on Friday morning, Health Minister Firass Abiad said, raising the number of victims this week in Lebanon to over 720. He stated that among the dead are dozens of women and children.
The Israeli army said on Friday that it carried out dozens of attacks over the course of two hours around the south, including in the cities of Sidon and Nabatiyeh. It claimed that its targets were rocket launchers and Hezbollah infrastructure. It stated that the armed wing of the group fired a barrage of rockets towards the city of Tiberias in northern Israel.