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Israeli Airstrike Targets Senior Hezbollah Commander in Beirut Amid Rising Tensions
In a significant escalation of hostilities, an Israeli airstrike has targeted a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut. This action comes amid rising tensions in the region, raising concerns over the potential for further conflict and instability.
Israeli Military Strikes Target Senior Hezbollah Commander in Beirut
The Israeli military has announced the elimination of a senior Hezbollah commander, an operation carried out on Tuesday evening in the heart of Beirut. This claim, however, has yet to be confirmed or refuted by Hezbollah or any Lebanese officials.
In a show of force, Israeli fighter jets executed an airstrike on Tuesday, a military spokesperson reported, as a retaliatory measure following a tragic incident that resulted in the deaths of 12 children and teenagers in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights over the weekend. The airstrike targeted a residential building situated in a southern suburb of Beirut, an area under Hezbollah’s influence. According to Lebanon’s health ministry, the strike resulted in the deaths of at least three individuals, including a woman and two children. This latest escalation has sparked heightened concerns in the West regarding the potential for a broader conflict between Israel and the powerful Lebanese militia.
This airstrike marks the second instance during the ongoing conflict that the Israeli military has targeted locations in or near the Lebanese capital. The first occurred in January, when a senior Hamas leader was killed in a similar operation.
Military spokesperson Daniel Hagari took to social media to identify the targeted commander as Fuad Shukr. He claimed that Shukr had been instrumental in orchestrating Hezbollah’s ongoing campaign of near-daily rocket and drone strikes against Israel since the Hamas-led assault began on October 7. Additionally, Hagari asserted that Shukr, a close associate of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, was likewise accountable for the earlier attack on the village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights.
As of now, Hezbollah has not issued any statements regarding Shukr’s status following the airstrike. The incident in Beirut unfolded shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a “severe” response to the attack in the Golan Heights, which had targeted a field where young people were playing soccer. While Israel has placed the blame for this assault squarely on Hezbollah, the group has denied any involvement in the incident, which struck the Druse Arab village of Majdal Shams. Meanwhile, Western officials have been urging Israel to exercise caution and restraint in its military responses.