The Israeli military launched a series of powerful strikes on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut on Friday, resulting in massive explosions that demolished several high-rise apartment buildings and targeted the militant group’s leader. The attack, the largest to hit the Lebanese capital in the past year, threatens to push the already escalating conflict to the brink of full-scale war. Lebanon’s health ministry reported at least two fatalities and dozens of injuries.
The airstrikes were aimed at Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to two sources familiar with the matter, including one U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Israeli military did not specify whether Nasrallah was the intended target. It remains unclear if he was present at the time, and Hezbollah has not issued a statement regarding the incident.
Following the strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly cut short his trip to the United States to return to Israel. Just hours earlier, Netanyahu addressed the United Nations, reaffirming that Israel’s heightened military campaign against Hezbollah would continue — casting further doubt on the possibility of an internationally brokered ceasefire anytime soon.