Israel targets Hezbollah Commander in live updates

The Strike on Tuesday night in Beirut against Israel: The Hezbollah Official and a Close Advisor to Hasan Nasrallah

According to three Israeli security officials, the strike was aimed at Fuad Shukr, a Hezbollah official and a close adviser to the Hezbollah leader, Hasan Nasrallah.

Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire across their shared border since the Gaza war began on Oct. 7 of last year, after the Hamas-led attack on Israel. Israel was accused of being behind the strike that killed al-Arouri, but they did not confirm or deny it.

The Israeli officials who spoke about the strike on Tuesday and its target did so on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details of the operation.

There was smoke rising from above buildings as darkness fell in Lebanon. Some showed crowds gathering in the streets of the southern suburb, a dense civilian area where Hezbollah holds sway.

Fire trucks and ambulances rushed to the scene of the strike, according to the news agency. Lebanese television channels showed footage of a seriously damaged building.

A large explosion ripped through the streets of southern Beirut Tuesday evening after Israeli forces struck an apartment building, leaving it partially collapsed. Police closed off the roads and an ambulance wailed its way to the area. People were shouting, “My family was inside, my family is inside!” They were running toward the explosion.

The State Department has a reward for Mr. Shukr, who was a key part of the 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marine compound in Lebanon which killed 241 American servicemen and wounded 128 others.

“He’s a very big target,” said Ms. Ghaddar, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Washington. He would be the largest loss for Hezbollah since October 7.

The program was offering up to $5 million for information on Mr. Shukr and the State Department labeled him a “specially designated global terrorist” in 2019, according to the website.

The United States and Hamas are All Together in Bringing an End to a War: Israel’s Defense Mission in the Gaza Strip

BEIRUT, Lebanon, and TEL AVIV, Israel — A large explosion ripped through the streets of southern Beirut on Tuesday evening. A short while later, Israel claimed responsibility for what it called a “targeted strike.”

The United States and other nations have urged Israeli officials to exercise restraint in the conflict with Hezbollah, warning against escalation as Israel continues its nearly 10-month campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

An ambulance wailed its way to the area close to the location of Tuesday’s strike. People were shouting, “My family was inside, my family is inside!” as they ran toward the explosion.

Israel made it clear that it would retaliate for Saturday’s rocket attack. “Hezbollah crossed the red line,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wrote on X Tuesday.

The United States’ support for Israel is “clad” if it protects itself against Iran, said a U.S. State Department spokesman. He said those included threats from Hezbollah.

The international community urged both sides to refrain from taking action on the Lebanon border as a war was feared.

“We don’t want to see the war escalate,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday. We don’t want to see a second front up there. What we want to do and what we’re still focused on is finding a diplomatic solution here to reduce the tensions.”

The White House press secretary was asked questions about the strike in Lebanon. She said they don’t believe an all out-war is inevitable and can still be avoided.

The US believes that a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip is the best way to end the conflict.

Just hours earlier, Israel said it had killed the top commander of the Hezbollah organization in Lebanon in an air attack in order to retaliate for the killing of 12 children in a rocket attack on Majdal Shams.

TEL AVIV, Israel — The Palestinian militant group Hamas said that its top leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran. In a statement released on Wednesday, the group said he was killed in an Israeli raid on his residence in Tehran after participating in the inauguration ceremony of new Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian.