The Israeli military said it struck the central headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut. The series of explosions on Friday evening were the most powerful yet seen in the Lebanese capital the past year.
According to the Associated Press, the series of gigantic blasts at around nightfall reduced six buildings to rubble in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood of Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburbs, according to Lebanon’s national news agency.
The shock wave rattled windows and shook houses some 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of Beirut. TV footage showed several craters — one with a car toppled into it — amid collapsed buildings in the densely populated, predominantly Shiite neighbourhood.
The Israeli army spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said it targeted the main Hezbollah headquarters, located beneath residential buildings.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly cut short a visit to the United States and was returning home instead of waiting until the end of Sabbath on Saturday, his office said. Hours earlier, Netanyahu addressed the U.N., vowing that Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah would continue — further dimming hopes for an internationally backed cease-fire.
More than 720 people have been killed in Lebanon this week, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Israel has dramatically escalated strikes, saying it is targeting Hezbollah’s military capacities and senior Hezbollah commanders.
The International Organisation for Migration estimated Thursday that more than 200,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon since Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas after it stormed into Israel, sparking the Israel-Hamas war.
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