Israel and Hezbollah continue to be at the verge of an all-out war with the latter, a Lebanese militant group, on Wednesday claiming it targeted Israeli intelligence agency Mossad's headquarters in Tel Aviv and the former hitting back with 'extensive strikes'. Meanwhile, in a fresh blow to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Israel's military on Tuesday said it killed a top commander of the outfit's missile and rocket unit in a strike in Beirut. This comes five days after Israeli strikes killed dozens, including veteran Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil.
Israeli military officials cited in a news agency Associated Press report said Ibrahim Kobeisi, who they said was responsible for launches towards Israel, was killed Tuesday. The military said “other key commanders” were with Kobeisi at the time of the strike, but officials did not say whether any of them were killed or wounded.
Parts of Lebanon have been pounded by Israeli strikes since Hezbollah launched missiles in retaliation to the wave of explosions in thousands of handheld pagers and walkie talkies in the country that killed dozens of people, many of the Hezbollah members. Israel, blamed for the explosions, has neither denied nor claimed responsibility for what was termed as a sophisticated remote attack.
Israel-Hezbollah Tensions | Latest
Hezbollah Says It Fired At Mossad HQ: In a statement cited in a BBC report, Hezbollah has said it launched a ballistic missile towards Tel Aviv at 6:30 am on Wednesday in support of the "valiant and honourable resistance" of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and "in defence of Lebanon and its people". A spokesperson cited in the report said Hezbollah targeted the headquarters of Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, claiming it is "responsible for assassinating leaders and blowing up pagers and wireless devices". Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesperson cited in an AP report, termed as "psychological warfare" Hezbollah's claim of targeting the Mossad headquarters. The official, however, said the missile fired Wednesday had a “heavy warhead”.
Israel Hits Back With 'Extensive Strikes': The Lebanese health ministry said on Wednesday that six people were killed after Israeli strikes in Lebanon after Hezbollah claimed to target Mossad headquarter in Tel Aviv. As per Lebanon's health minister, Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed 51 and injured 223 people.
Over 550 Dead In Israel's Latest Strikes On Lebanon: Lebanon's Health Ministry said on Tuesday that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since early Monday reached 558, including 50 children and 94 women. Health Minister Firass Abiad told reporters on Tuesday that 1,835 people were wounded during the same period and were taken to 54 hospitals around Lebanon. Four paramedics were among those killed, and 16 paramedics and firefighters were among the wounded, AP quoted Abiad as saying.
Israeli Strikes Kill Another Hezbollah Commander: Israeli military said on Tuesday it killed a top commander with Hezbollah's missile and rocket unit who was responsible for launches towards Israel. Ibrahim Kobeisi, the military said, was with “other key commanders” at the time of the strike. However, officials did not say whether any of the others were killed or injured. Last Friday, September 20, an Israeli airstrike brought down a high-rise building in Beirut's southern suburbs, killing Ibrahim Akil, the commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan unit, and other top unit leaders.
Israel-Hezbollah Clashes: Israel and Hezbollah, who have carried out repeated strikes against each other since the war on Gaza began on October 7 following Palestenian militant group Hamas attack on Israeli territories, are the closest to an all-out war than ever before following the wave of explosions in Lebanon that hit pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members last Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least 37 people - including two children - and leaving about 3,000 injured.
What Is Hezbollah: Hezbollah, Lebanon's most powerful armed force, is a close ally and a proxy of Iran, which supports Palestinian groups like Hamas. Iran had threatened to retaliate for the killing of a senior Palestinian militant group Hamas's leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in an explosion in Iran's Tehran in July that was widely blamed on Israel, which has not said whether it was involved. Later Israeli military claimed responsibility for a targeted strike that killed one of Hezbollah's founding members Fouad Shukur in July itself. Iran's proxies, Houthis in Yemen as well as Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed groups, are also called the “axis of resistance.”
