Israel Strikes Beirut, Targets Hizbullah, Kills Hamas Official

Israel launched a volley of air strikes on Lebanon, including areas around Beirut, targeting Hizbullah, which is backed by Iran. The attacks come after Hizbullah attacked Israel on Monday, 3 February, in retaliation for the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following US–Israeli joint strikes over the weekend. Since then, Israel has attacked targets across Lebanon and deployed ground forces to border towns. The National News Agency (NNA) of Lebanon, as reported by AFP, said several strikes hit the country on Thursday morning local time, two of which hit Hizbullah’s stronghold on the southern outskirts of Beirut, with AFPTV footage showing smoke rising. The Israeli military, which has ordered residents to evacuate areas near the strike sites, said it had struck “several command centres of the Hizbullah terrorist organisation” and that Tel Aviv reported no immediate casualties. NNA reported that a pre-dawn drone strike hit an apartment in the Beddawi refugee camp near Tripoli, killing Wassim Atallah al-Ali, a senior Hamas official, and his wife. This marked the first reported targeted killing of a Hamas official since the regional war began on Saturday 28 February. In a separate report, NNA said a drone hit a vehicle in southern Lebanon, killing at least three people; NNA did not speculate on who orchestrated the strike. Another NNA report said an air strike “enemy” hit a house in the Tyre district. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the latest strikes reported by NNA. Meanwhile, Hizbullah’s leader, Naim Qassem, vowed to continue the fight and to escalate the attacks, saying Hizbullah had targeted Israeli positions as far as Tel Aviv in at least 15 attacks. “We are facing aggression… our choice is to confront it to the last sacrifice, and we will not surrender,” Qassem said in his first address since the latest clashes erupted. Lebanese authorities said at least 72 people have died, a further 437 injured, and about 83,000 displaced since Monday 3 February local time.