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Israel bombs Beirut day after ‘war declaration’

Several people have died after a missile hit a busy suburb of Beirut just a day after the head of Hezbollah said Israel had crossed “all red lines”.

Israeli air strikes hit densely populated Beirut neighbourhood

Israel has carried out a deadly air strike on Beirut which it is feared could be the opening gambit in a war between it and Hezbollah which might include a full ground invasion of northern Lebanon.

That could be a “doomsday scenario,” a Lebanese politician has said.

At around 4pm on Friday (11pm AEST), local time, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) confirmed a “targeted air strike” on Lebanon’s capital city.

Images show major damage in the busy and densely populated suburb of Dahieh, a stronghold of the militant group Hezbollah.

At least nine people have died, including a senior Hezbollah operative, and 59 were injured, the Lebanese health ministry said.

IDF sources told newspaper The Times of Israel that the target was Ibrahim Aqil, who sits on the Jihad Council, Hezbollah’s top military body. He is thought to have died but it is not confirmed.

It is the third air strike on Beirut this year. All have targeted Hezbollah leaders.

Israel air strike in Beirut. Picture: X/Times of Israel.
Israel air strike in Beirut. Picture: X/Times of Israel.

‘Doomsday scenario’

Throughout Friday, including after the Beirut attack, Hezbollah also fired rockets into northern Israel.

Israel confirmed that its much vaunted missile defence system had not been able to shoot them all down.

While central areas of Israel, including the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, were not targeted, the Hezbollah rockets were sent further into northern Israel than usual. They were targeted beyond an evacuation zone on the border where most of the militant groups projectiles have landed.

Hezbollah, backed by Iran, is based in Lebanon but many Lebanese people do not support the militant group.

Lebanon’s ambassador to the UK Rami Mortada told UK newspaper The Times that an Israeli invasion would be a “doomsday scenario”.

“We are facing all the risks of an all-out regional conflict and that’s what we have been tirelessly trying to avoid.”

People check the damage at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 20, 2024. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)
People check the damage at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 20, 2024. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)

Israel, still fighting in Gaza, would be stretched to open a second front in Lebanon. Teh US and other eastern nations have also been pleading with it not too.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government is propped up by right wing nationalists eager for a fight against Hezbollah, has said its aim is to allow 60,000 residents of northern Israel to return to their homes.

The only way to do that, it has benne said, is to push Hezbollah further away from the Israeli border.

However, this risks a potentially painful conflict due to Hezbollah’s weaponry which is more sophisticated than that of Hamas’ in Gaza and could reach into more populated areas of Israel if the country’s missile shield are overwhelmed.

Several people have died. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)
Several people have died. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)
The strike hit a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut.
The strike hit a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut.

The Beirut attack comes days after 37 people were killed following consecutive attacks that saw pagers and walkie talkies explode, which Israeli was thought to be behind.

On Thursday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the attacks, which also injure thousands, were a “declaration of war” by Israel which as crossed “all red lines”.

“Reckoning will come,” he added, suggesting retaliation.

Originally published as Israel bombs Beirut day after ‘war declaration’

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/israel-bombs-beirut-day-after-war-declaration/news-story/4c8011fd532acbeab07782de1206adb0