Israel targets Hezbollah in intense cross-border strikes
6:04 AM EDT, September 29, 2024
The Israeli army reported on Saturday morning about new strikes in eastern Lebanon targeting the Shia terrorist organization Hezbollah. Meanwhile, Hezbollah reported an attack on northern Israel.
The army "is currently attacking targets (...) belonging to Hezbollah in the Bekaa Valley," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
Smoke over Beirut, hospital evacuations
According to eyewitnesses, after the Israeli attack on Saturday, smoke was rising over the southern suburbs of Beirut, Reuters reported. The sound of explosions was also heard in the city.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that patients and hospital personnel in the southern districts of Beirut will be evacuated to facilities "unaffected by the Israeli assault." The ministry called on these facilities to accept only urgent cases until the end of next week.
"Response" from Hezbollah
Meanwhile, Hezbollah stated that on Saturday it attacked the Kabri kibbutz in Western Galilee in northern Israel with Fadi-1 rockets in response to the Israeli strikes on "cities, villages, and civilians" in Lebanon.
According to the Times of Israel, five rockets struck deeper in northern Israel, but none were headed for Kabri. The Israeli army reported intercepting five rockets fired from Lebanon in the northern part of the country.
Hezbollah headquarters attacked, "probably dozens killed"
On Friday, the Israeli military reported an attack on Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut. According to media reports, the entire block of buildings was destroyed. It was the largest air raid on the Lebanese capital during the escalation of the Hezbollah-Israel conflict that has been ongoing for a year.
In the fall of 2023, after the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip, Iran-backed Hezbollah began regular shelling of northern Israel, which met with strong counterattacks. Since Monday, the Israeli air force has been conducting massive airstrikes on Lebanon. Israel emphasizes that the airstrikes are aimed at Hezbollah's infrastructure and fighters, with the goal of restoring security to the northern part of the country, from which more than 60,000 people have had to flee before the attacks.
