A fresh wave of air raids hit Beirut's southern suburbs in the early hours of Saturday as Israel stepped up attacks on Hezbollah, after a massive strike on the group’s command center that apparently targeted its leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Media reports said there were more than 40 separate airstrikes before dawn on Saturday. Fires raged from several locations, and smoke and flames were seen from above Beirut.
The Israeli military has made several evacuation orders.
Heavy strikes shook southern Beirut on Friday too. There was no immediate confirmation of Nasrallah's fate. The Lebanese armed group did not make a statement.
Instead, it announced that it had launched a salvo of rockets at the Israeli city of Safed, which it said was “in defense of Lebanon and its people, and in response to the barbaric Israeli violation of cities, villages and civilians.” The Israeli military said a house and a car in Safed were hit, and officials said a 68-year-old woman suffered mild shrapnel wounds.
The site hit Friday evening had not been publicly known as Hezbollah’s main headquarters, though it is located in the group’s “security quarters,” a heavily guarded part of Haret Hreik where it has offices and runs several nearby hospitals.
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.
