Over the weekend, Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, witnessed a series of large-scale attacks in the southern suburbs that shook the entire city. The explosions continued for nearly 30 minutes, with flashes of red and white visible from several kilometers away.
According to Reuters, on Saturday night, the southern suburbs of Beirut were hit at least eight times, including near the airport. Prior to the attacks, the Israeli military had issued warnings to residents in the area.
Israeli military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari stated on Saturday that Israel had killed 440 Hezbollah militants and destroyed 2,000 Hezbollah targets in their ground operations in southern Lebanon.
Israeli authorities confirmed on Saturday that nine Israeli soldiers had lost their lives in the operations in southern Lebanon.
A source from Lebanese security forces mentioned on Saturday that since the previous Friday, Israel had carried out multiple attacks on residential areas in Dahiyeh, south of Beirut, and Hezbollah positions.
Israel has been expanding its military operations in Lebanon, with reports indicating that on Saturday, Israel launched its first attack on the northern city of Tripoli and conducted raids in the south.
On Friday, Israel conducted an airstrike near Beirut International Airport targeting the potential successor of Hezbollah, Hashem Safieddine.
Hezbollah has yet to confirm Safieddine’s death or make any statements in response.
Israeli forces had previously bombed the outskirts of Beirut, believed to be strongholds of the Iran-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah, leading to the possible deaths of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his potential successor.
Israeli military claimed to have struck Hezbollah’s central command in Beirut on September 27, killing Nasrallah. Hezbollah later confirmed his death.
Nasrallah’s death dealt a significant blow to the organization and its Iranian supporters. Israeli attacks in the region have intensified in recent weeks, severely impacting Hezbollah’s leadership.
Lebanese security officials told Reuters on Saturday that an attack on the Tripoli Palestinian refugee camp resulted in the deaths of a Hamas member, his wife, and two children. Media linked to Palestinian groups reported the death of a Hamas military leader named Saeed Atallah.
Israel stated that they had killed two Hamas members operating in Lebanon without specifying if they were in Tripoli, a predominantly Sunni Muslim port city which was also a target during the 2006 war with Hezbollah.
In northern Israel on Saturday, air raid sirens sounded as rockets were launched from Lebanon, prompting people to seek shelter in bunkers to avoid the attacks.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing missiles at the “ATA Defense Industries Military Production Base” in the northern Israeli city of Nahariya.
The Israeli military reported that two shells were fired from Lebanon, one intercepted while the other landed without causing any damage.
On October 1, Iran fired nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel. President Biden advised Israel against attacking Iranian nuclear facilities or oil installations to prevent the Middle East from descending into full-scale war.
On Saturday, US Department of Defense officials disclosed that General Michael Kurilla, the top US military commander in the region, was visiting the Middle East but did not specify the countries he was in or confirm Israeli media reports of his arrival in Israel for discussions with Israeli military officials.
Following the Israel-Hamas conflict, Hezbollah began firing guided rockets and shells at Israeli positions.
Israel has intensified its attacks on Hezbollah to enable tens of thousands of Israeli residents in the north who have been displaced due to bombings since October 8 to safely return home.