- The missile hit an apartment building in Beirut at 7:40 p.m. local time.
- The attack followed a Hezbollah attack in the Golan Heights on Saturday.
Israel launched a targeted airstrike on the Lebanese capital tonight in a dramatic attempt to eliminate a senior Hezbollah commander.
The missile attack, which occurred at 7:40 p.m. local time, followed a terrorist attack in the Golan Heights on Saturday that killed 12 children.
An Israeli attack on Beirut had been anticipated following Hezbollah’s attack on a children’s playground.
Video footage showed a burning apartment building and a sense of panic in the southern suburb of Haret Hreik tonight.
Tensions were extremely high as paramedics were seen removing victims from several damaged buildings, including a hospital.
Sky TV journalist Alex Crawford was confronted by angry locals as she tried to broadcast live from the scene of the explosion.
The aftermath of an Israeli airstrike launched on the Lebanese capital tonight in a dramatic attempt to eliminate a senior Hezbollah commander
People walk near the building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
An ambulance makes its way through the crowd. Video footage showed a burning apartment building and a sense of panic in the southern suburb of Haret Hreik this evening.
According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, Haret Hreik is home to a Hezbollah headquarters, a “Shura Council.”
Unconfirmed reports suggested that the specific target of the Israeli strike was Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr.
An Israeli attack on Beirut had been anticipated following Hezbollah’s rocket attack over the weekend.
The rocket is believed to have been fired by mistake, but as children were killed, Israel claimed the group had “crossed a red line”.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant repeated the phrase in a message posted on X just minutes after yesterday’s airstrike.
Earlier this week, the UK issued a request for Britons to leave Lebanon urgently, fearing a wider conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Should UK citizens remain stranded there, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines are expected to lead a sea evacuation mission.
As the Mail has previously revealed, British commandos have carried out reconnaissance operations along the Lebanese coast to assist in the operation.
Beirut medical staff treat a wounded man following an Israeli attack. Tensions were high as paramedics were seen removing victims from several damaged buildings, including a hospital.
An Israeli attack on Beirut had been anticipated following Hezbollah’s attack on a playground in the Golan Heights over the weekend, which killed 12 children.
Israel and Hezbollah have been locked in a small-scale conflict since Hamas’s attacks on October 7 last year. Retaliatory attacks have continued since then. Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly said that Israel’s strategic priority remains the eradication of Hamas.
It was not clear tonight how many casualties the Israeli airstrike had caused, nor the fate of Shukr.
Although US diplomats have urged Israel not to escalate the conflict, last night’s attack could prove to be an isolated incident by Israel.
However, if Hezbollah responds by attacking the northern Israeli city of Haifa, which is within range of its rockets, then a wider war could begin.
Israel is seen as reluctant to confront Hezbollah as long as it remains entangled with Hamas in Gaza.
Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in a small-scale conflict since Hamas’s attacks on October 7 last year. Retaliatory strikes have continued since then.
The last time Israel attacked Beirut was in January, when an airstrike killed a senior Hamas official based in the city, Saleh Arouri.
The attack was the first time Israel had struck the Lebanese capital since the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly said that Israel’s strategic priority remains the eradication of Hamas.
