Lebanon crisis updates: EU advises airlines to avoid Lebanese, Israeli airspace
The Israeli military launched deadly attacks on Lebanon on Saturday, which resulted in the death of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and targeted more than 140 locations, and reports said that the killings included his daughter, Zainab Nasrallah. The army began strikes in the densely populated Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut on Friday, aiming to target Hezbollah’s headquarters and weapons depots.
One of the primary targets of the attack was Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who Israel confirmed as dead on Saturday.
On the same day, the Israeli military also stated that they had killed a commander of Hezbollah’s missile unit, Muhammad Ali Ismail, along with his deputy, Hossein Ahmed Ismail, in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli offensive against Hezbollah has resulted in over 700 deaths in Lebanon over the past week, including both civilians and Hezbollah operatives.
According to Reuters, witnesses reported hearing more than 20 separate airstrikes conducted before dawn on Saturday in Beirut.
Airstrikes carried out by Israel in Beirut on Friday, allegedly targeting Hezbollah operatives, resulted in six deaths and 91 injuries, according to provisional data provided by Lebanon’s health ministry on Saturday.
Seven buildings were demolished in the strikes, where Israeli forces claimed weapons were being stored. However, Hezbollah has denied establishing a weapons depot in Beirut.
As reported by AFP, they have indicated that their next strike will be on Saturday in the Tyre region of southern Lebanon.
In a statement, the military said that they were striking “terror targets” belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the area.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has strongly condemned Israel’s airstrikes on the densely populated southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday, describing the attacks as a “flagrant war crime” that exposes the true nature of Israel’s terrorism.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to cut short his visit to the United States to return home as strikes intensified and the U.S. distanced itself from Israel’s offensive.
While addressing the United Nations, Netanyahu vowed that Israel’s strikes would continue and that they would “continue degrading Hezbollah.”
Iran’s foreign minister also denounced the U.S. for its “complicity” in Israel’s war crimes. The U.S. has been a key supporter of Israel in its conflict with Gaza and has also called for a ceasefire.
Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets and missiles aimed at Tel Aviv; however, according to AFP, Israel’s air defence systems have ensured that the damage has been minimal.