The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed this Tuesday that they carried out a “targeted attack” in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, aiming at the commander of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, allegedly responsible for an attack on Israeli territory that resulted in the deaths of 12 children. “The IDF conducted a targeted attack against the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams (northern Israel) and for the deaths of many other Israeli civilians,” the IDF statement said, indicating that additional information would be provided later.
Local sources cited by international agencies in Lebanon reported an explosion in the suburbs south of Beirut known as Dahye, a significant stronghold of Hezbollah. A source close to Hezbollah reported this Israeli attack, three days after a deadly strike in the Golan Heights attributed to the Lebanese Shiite group.
“Israel attacked the suburbs south of Beirut,” said a source from the Shiite movement, while international news agencies reported testimonies from witnesses who heard a loud bang and saw a cloud of smoke.
From Israel’s side, a military statement assured that there have been no changes to Israel’s plans regarding Hezbollah. “There are no changes in the directives from the central command,” stated an Israeli military communiqué about the Beirut attack, targeting a Hezbollah commander whose identity has not been disclosed.
Israel vowed to respond “harshly” to this attack, provoked by the impact of a rocket loaded with 50 kilograms of explosives—manufactured in Iran and reported to only feature in Hezbollah’s arsenal, according to Israel.
The rocket hit a football field where children and teenagers were playing, killing 12, all between the ages of 10 and 16, while another 16 minors injured in this attack remain hospitalized, seven of them in serious condition. “The response will come soon and will be harsh,” warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday during a visit to Majdal Shams, a Druze town in the Golan Heights occupied by Israel since 1967.
During that visit, Netanyahu reportedly received the green light from his security cabinet to decide on the timing and nature of the retaliatory attack against Hezbollah. The Prime Minister’s Office released a photograph of Netanyahu meeting with military leadership and his security advisor, Tzagi Hanegbi, where he is seen receiving a phone call, but without providing further information.
This morning, Israel had already attacked 10 Hezbollah targets in various regions of Lebanon, killing another fighter from the group; while the Shiite militia launched several volleys of rockets towards the north, killing one Israeli civilian.
The border between Israel and Lebanon has seen an intense exchange of gunfire since October, resulting in the deaths of more than 560 people, mostly on the Lebanese side and among Hezbollah ranks, which confirmed about 355 casualties, some in Syria, along with a hundred civilians.
In Israel, 46 people have died in the north: 22 soldiers (five in operational accidents) and 25 civilians, including 12 children and teenagers in the Majdal Shams attack and another today.