Israel unleashes huge strikes on Beirut - it says Hezbollah leader is the target

Israel has unleashed a series of huge strikes on Beirut, with its military saying it struck the central headquarters of the militant group Hezbollah.

The first wave of attacks shook windows across the Lebanese capital and sent thick clouds of smoke billowing into the air.

Israel says Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was the intended target of the strike but a senior Israeli official said it was too early to say whether the attack was successful.

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A source close to Hezbollah told the Reuters news agency Nasrallah is still alive, and Iran's Tasnim news agency also reported he was safe.

At least six people have been killed in the airstrikes and 91 wounded, according to the Lebanese health ministry. It said the figures were preliminary.

Early on Saturday a second round of strikes carried out by Israel's air force followed, targeting what the Israeli military said were Hezbollah weapons production facilities and key command centres of the militant group in southern Beirut.

Flames could be seen rising from certain areas after the strike. And Israel says it has also been attacking targets in the Bekaa valley, striking the mountain town of Bhamdoun.

It came hours after the IDF called for the immediate evacuation of some specific buildings in southern suburbs for the first time.

Army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a post on X that people should "get at least 500m away" from three buildings.

As the attacks took place, the Israeli military claimed it had killed the commander of Hezbollah's missile unit, Muhammad Ali Ismail, and his deputy, Hossein Ahmed Ismail.

Friday's strike was the strongest carried out by Israel in Beirut during its nearly year-long conflict with Hezbollah, which began when the Iran-backed group began firing rockets into Israel almost immediately after Hamas attacked from Gaza on 7 October.

The Israeli military claimed it had carried out a "precise strike" on Hezbollah's headquarters which it said was "embedded under residential buildings in the heart of the Dahieh in Beirut".

Dahieh - the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut - has been struck four times over the last week - displacing an estimated 100,000 people.

Four of the buildings in the area were reduced to rubble on Friday, Hezbollah's Al Manar TV reported.

Iran's embassy in Beirut described the strikes as a "dangerous, game-changing escalation", calling them a "crime" that merits "appropriate punishment".

Then overnight into Saturday, the Israeli army claimed to have eliminated the head of a Hamas network in southern Syria as well.

More than 720 people have been killed in Lebanon since the conflict escalated following pager and radio explosions, according to Lebanon's health ministry, as over 200,000 people have been displaced.

Earlier on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep up Israel's attacks on Iranian-backed fighters in Lebanon during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

"As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice, and Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their homes safely," he said.

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"Israel has been tolerating this intolerable situation for nearly a year. Well, I've come here today to say enough is enough," Mr Netanyahu added.

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Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 700 people in Lebanon, raising fears of an all-out war between the two sides.

Satellite images, taken by Maxar Technologies, reveal the extent of the damage caused by some of the strikes in Chouaghir, Baalbek-Hermel Governorate in eastern Lebanon.

The first image, which was taken on 3 September 2024, shows a building surrounded by what appears to be trees. The same building is then completely destroyed in the second image, which was taken on 26 September.

Israel claims the aim of the bombardment is to put an end to more than 11 months of Hezbollah fire into its territory.

(c) Sky News 2024: Israel unleashes huge strikes on Beirut - it says Hezbollah leader is the target