A series of Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday, in the biggest attack on the Hezbollah stronghold since Israel and Hezbollah went to war in 2006.
Here’s what we know about the strikes.
– What happened? –
Just before 6:30 pm (1530 GMT) the sound of powerful explosions was heard across the capital.
“Enemy warplanes carried out a series of strikes on the area of Beirut’s southern suburbs,” the National News Agency said.
Lebanese television showed smoke rising from several places in the area, and a video obtained by AFP showed an enormous explosion and smoke in thick plumes coming from buildings.
A source close to Hezbollah, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, said the strikes “levelled six buildings” in the Haret Hreik area.
Lebanon’s health ministry gave an initial toll of two killed and 76 wounded.
The strikes left craters up to five metres (16 feet) across in the Haret Hreik, with ambulances arriving, fires burning and residents fleeing, AFP photographers said.
Residents of the densely populated area said their homes shook in the successive blasts.
– What was hit? –
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said that the army “carried out a precise strike on the central headquarters of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah”.
The headquarters “served as the epicentre of Hezbollah’s terror”, Hagari said, adding that it was “located under residential buildings in the heart of Dahiyeh”, referring to the southern suburbs.
READ ALSO: Israel strikes Rafah after top UN court orders it to halt offensive
The source close to Hezbollah said the strikes targeted buildings in a residential area that include organisations, institutions and offices belonging to Hezbollah and its lawmakers in the Lebanese parliament.
Three residents of the southern suburbs told AFP that there are no buildings known as the Hezbollah headquarters in the area.
– Who was targeted? –
Leading Israeli television networks reported that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was the target.
“Target of the strike: Nasrallah. The IDF (Israeli military) is checking whether the secretary-general of Hezbollah was in the building in the heart of Dahiyeh (that was hit),” Channel 12 reported.
Public broadcaster Kan 11 said: “Target of the strike in Dahiyeh – Nasrallah.”
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said: “We are not commenting on this.”
The left-leaning Haaretz newspaper also reported that Nasrallah was the target.
A source close to Hezbollah said that Nasrallah was “fine”.
There has been no official statement from Hezbollah on the strikes or on Nasrallah.
