A building in Beirut, Lebanon has been destroyed in what Israel said was a targeted attack on a Hezbollah commander. The strike has raised concerns of a wider war in the region.
Lebanese media reported the explosion in the Beirut neighborhood of Haret Hreik on Tuesday evening, while Israeli outlets identified the targeted area as Dahieh. It was unclear whether airplanes or drones were involved.
At least two people have died and 20 were injured in the strike, including children, according to a RT Arabic correspondent.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the strike and said it targeted the Hezbollah commander responsible for Saturday’s attack on a village in the Golan Heights “and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that by striking the village of Majdal Shams, Hezbollah had “crossed the red line,” echoing recent comments by Foreign Minister Israel Katz.
Twelve people died in the Druze village of Majdal Shams on Saturday, most of them children, when a rocket hit a football pitch. The IDF blamed Hezbollah, which denied responsibility. The Shia militant group has said that it would respond to any Israeli strike.
Israeli media outlets have named the target as Fuad Shukr, alias Hajj Mohsin, describing him as a “senior advisor” to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, commander of the group’s precision missile project, and someone wanted by the US for his role in the 1983 role in the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut.
Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged rocket and drone fire for months, forcing the evacuation of almost 200,000 residents on both sides of the border.
West Jerusalem has threatened a military operation against Hezbollah for months, even as it continued the offensive against Hamas in Gaza. President Isaac Herzog said in early June that Hezbollah’s “terrorist aggression must be stopped” and that the world should not be surprised when Israel acts.