الياس بجاني/نص وفيديو: بدأت إسرائيل باقتلاع حزب الله وتصفيته بعد أن باعته إيران وانتهت صلاحيته وتبين أنه كذبة وأوهى من بيت العنكبوت 20 أيلول/2024 خلال ثلاثة أيام فقط تمكنت إسرائيل من إسقاط ورقة حزب الله وكشف عوراته وقتل العشرات من قادته وتحييد ما يزيد عن 5000 عنصر من أفراده من بينهم كثر من القادة 20 منهم هم قادة فرقة الرضوان. من ال 5000 الذين فجرتهم إسرائيل بمجزرة البيجرز واللاسلكي مئات من الجرحى ومئات قطعت إطرافهم ومئات اقتلعت عينهم ومئات تقطعت أعضائهم التناسلية وما يقارب ال 60 قتيل والعشرات في حالات حرجة.. وكل هذا دون إطلاق رصاصة واحدة. هذه المجرة، بل هذه المجازر تؤكد أن حزب الله وإيران وكل أوباش ما يسمى محور ممانعة هم مجرد كذبة وأقزام ورزم من الأوهام بمواجهة العملاق الإسرائيلي ومن وراءه كل دول الغرب والكثير من الدول العربية. من المؤكد أن مسرحية كذبة وتجارة المقاومة قد انتهت ومعه انتهت صلاحية حزب الشيطان الإرهابي والملالوي المؤدلج مذهبياً. حرام وألف حرام تزوير الحقائق والنفخ في وهم كذبة ما يسمى مقاومة. ارحموا أبناء الطائفة الشيعية الضحية والرهينة وتوقفوا عن إغراقهم في أوهام وهلوسات. إيران باعتهم وانتهى حزب الله وقُطعت ورقته وأصبح منتهي الصلاحية. فهموها وتوبوا. أهلنا شيعة لبنان مخطوفين ومأخوذين رهائن- ربنا يخلصهم من إجرام ملالي الفرس ومن حزبهم الإرهابي وسيده الدجال. حان الوقت لأهلنا شيعة لبنان الأحرار دفن هرطقة “فدا غبرتك صباتك يا سيد” ولعن هذا الدجال وطرده مع كل عصابته ومحاسبتهم ع إجرامهم
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العربية تنشر صورا لقياديين من حزب الله قتلوا خلال غارة الضاحية العربية/21 أيلول/2024 مصادر العربية: أبو حسين وهبي ومحمد العطار وسراج حدرج والحاج مهدي من بين قتلى غارة ضاحية بيروت قناة العربية حصلت العربية والحدث على صور لقياديين من حزب الله قتلوا خلال الغارة الإسرائيلية على الضاحية الجنوبية في لبنان بينهم أبو حسين وهبي ومحمد العطار وسراج حدرج والحاج مهدي ومهدي البوكس وحمزة الغربية والحاج نينوى. كما قتل أيضا خلال غارة الضاحية حسن حسين وحسين حدرج ومهدي جمول وعباس مسلماني وسامر حلاوي. وذكرت معلومات العربية والحدث أن “الغارة الإسرائيلية على الضاحية الجنوبية استهدفت اجتماعاً للقيادة المصغرة لقيادة الرضوان حصراً”، ونفت “أن يكون بالاجتماع أي مسؤول بالحرس الثوري الإيراني”. وأكدت المصادر “أن الغارة استهدفت القيادي بالحزب إبراهيم عقيل الذي يتولّى قيادة “وحدة الرضوان” وهي قوات النخبة في الحزب”. وأوضحت المصادر “أن مسؤول الوحدة ٨٠٠ (وحدة التدريبات الداخلية والخارجية) بالإضافة إلى مسؤول فوج في قوات الرضوان ومسؤول الأركان في قوات الرضوان قتلوا أيضاً بالغارة على الضاحية الجنوبية”. وأفادت المصادر أن “هؤلاء القياديين مهامهم التدريب والتسليح والتجهيز والاعداد”. والقادة بقوات الرضوان الذين قتلوا هم بحسب المصادر هم: ١-الحاج ابو حسين وهبي ٢- ابو ياسر ٣-سراج حدرج ٤- حمزة الغربية ٥- مهدي البوكس ٦- الحاج نينوى ٧- مهدي جمّول ٨-محمد قاسم العطار ٩- عباس مسلماني ١٠-سامر حلاوي
من هي “قوة الرضوان” التي اغتالت إسرائيل قائدها عقيل في بيروت؟ تمتلك “قوة الرضوان” ترسانة من الصواريخ وغيرها من الأسلحة. وتضم في صفوفها بضعة آلاف من المقاتلين العربية.نت»/20 أيلول/2024 أكدت مصادر “العربية” و”الحدث”، الجمعة، أن غارة إسرائيلية على الضاحية الجنوبية في بيروت قتلت قائد “قوة الرضوان”، وحدات النخبة في حزب الله، اللبناني، إبراهيم عقيل. وقالت المصادر إن مقاتلة إسرائيلية من طراز “إف 35” نفذت الغارة على الضاحية الجنوبية. ويعد هجوم الجمعة الأبرز الذي يستهدف قوة النخبة في حزب الله اللبناني. إسرائيل تؤكد تصفية القيادة العليا لقوة الرضوان وذكر مسؤول إسرائيلي، نقلا عن موقع “أكسيوس” الأميركي، أن غارة الجمعة قتلت “القيادة العليا لقوة الرضوان بحزب الله وعددهم 20”. وأكد الجيش الإسرائيلي أن “عقيل وقيادات قوة الرضوان كانوا في نفق تحت الأرض عند استهدافهم”. قالت وسائل إعلام إسرائيلية إن عددا كبيرا من عناصر “قوة الرضوان”، قتلوا في تفجيرات أجهزة الاتصال اللاسلكي في لبنان، يومي الثلاثاء، والأربعاء. وأعلن حزب الله مقتل 20 من عناصره، الأربعاء، حيث أفاد مصدر مقرب منه أنهم قتلوا في تفجيرات أجهزة اتصال لا سلكي نسبت إلى إسرائيل. ومن بين قتلى حزب الله، الأربعاء، القائد الميداني في “قوة الرضوان” علي جعفر معتوق، و 5 عناصر من الحزب قضوا في غارة إسرائيلية على جنوب لبنان. 7 ملايين دولار للوصول إلى عقيل وكانت وزارة الخارجية الأميركية قد رصدت مكافأة 7 ملايين دولار مكافأة مقابل الحصول على معلومات تفضي إلى الكشف عن هوية القيادي البارز في حزب الله عقيل أو مكان تواجده أو إلى اعتقاله أو إدانته. كان عقيل في ثمانينات القرن الماضي عضوا رئيسيا في حركة الجهاد، وهي خلية إرهابية تابعة لحزب الله تبنت تفجير السفارة الأميركية في بيروت في أبريل 1983 الذي راح ضحيته 63 شخصا وتفجير ثكنة مشاة البحرية الأميركية في أكتوبر 1983 الذي تسبب بمقتل 241 عنصرا أميركيا. قوة النخبة نشأت “قوة الرضوان” بعد الحرب الإسرائيلية في لبنان سنة 2006. وتعرف أيضا بقوات الحاج “رضوان”، وتوصف بأنها “قوات النخبة” في حزب الله.وحملت الحركة الاسم الحركي لمؤسسها عماد مغنية بعد اغتياله عام 2008. الانتخابات الأميركيةترامب يحمل اليهود المسؤولية بحال خسارته.. واتهامات له بمعاداة السامية شاركت “قوة الرضوان” في تدريبات عسكرية علنية جرت في مايو 2023، تحاكي من خلالها عمليات التسلل إلى إسرائيل. تمتلك “قوة الرضوان” ترسانة من الصواريخ وغيرها من الأسلحة. وتضم في صفوفها بضعة آلاف من المقاتلين. من أبرز مهام “قوة الرضوان” التسلل إلى إسرائيل وخاصة المستوطنات في الشمال. وتخشى أوساط إسرائيلية من أن هذه القوة قد تجتاح الجليل في حال وقوع حرب شاملة.
“7 ملايين دولار على رأسه”.. من إبراهيم عقيل قيادي حزب الله الذي قتلته إسرائيل ببيروت؟ العربية.نت»/20 أيلول/2024 قتل قائد قوة الرضوان، وحدات النخبة في حزب الله، الجمعة جراء غارة إسرائيلية استهدفت الضاحية الجنوبية لبيروت، وفق ما أكد مصدر مقرب من الحزب لوكالة فرانس برس، في وقت قالت إسرائيل إنها شنت ضربة “دقيقة”. وقال المصدر المقرب من الحزب إن “الغارة الإسرائيلية استهدفت قائد قوة الرضوان إبراهيم عقيل” ما أدى إلى مقتله. ويعد عقيل المطلوب من واشنطن، “الرجل العسكري الثاني في حزب الله بعد فؤاد شكر”، الذي قتل بغارة إسرائيلية في الضاحية الجنوبية في 30 يوليو. من هو إبراهيم عقيل؟ وضعت وزارة الخارجية الأميركية مكافأة 7 ملايين دولار مقابل معلومات تمكن واشنطن من الوصول إليه والقبض عليه.. فمن هو إبراهيم عقيل الذي استهدفته إسرائيل بغارة عنيفة في ضاحية بيروت الجنوبية اليوم الجمعة؟ وكشف بيان للسفارة الأميركية في 18 أبريل 2023 وهي الذكرى الأربعين لقيام حزب الله بتفجير السفارة الأميركية في العاصمة اللبنانية بيروت، عن تفاصيل أكثر عن تلك الشخصية الغامضة التي تبحث عنها أميركا ويبدو أن يد إسرائيل سبقتها إليه اليوم بعد عام تقريبا من هذا البيان. وقال البيان الأميركي آنذاك” يعلن برنامج مكافآت من أجل العدالة التابع لوزارة الخارجية الأميركية والذي تديره خدمة الأمن الدبلوماسي بعرض مكافأة تصل إلى سبعة ملايين دولار مقابل الحصول على معلومات تفضي إلى الكشف عن هوية القيادي البارز في حزب الله إبراهيم عقيل أو مكان تواجده أو إلى اعتقاله أو إدانته. إبراهيم عقيل معروف أيضا باسم تحسين، وهو عضو في أعلى مجلس عسكري تابع للحزب، ألا وهو مجلس الجهاد. كان عقيل في ثمانينات القرن الماضي عضوا رئيسيا في حركة الجهاد الإسلامي، وهي خلية إرهابية تابعة لحزب الله تبنت تفجير السفارة الأميركية في بيروت في أبريل 1983 الذي راح ضحيته 63 شخصا وتفجير ثكنة مشاة البحرية الأميركية في أكتوبر 1983 الذي تسبب بمقتل 241 عنصرا أميركيا. وأدار عقيل أيضا في ثمانينات القرن الماضي عملية أخذ رهائن أميركيين وألمان في لبنان واحتجازهم هناك. أدرجت وزارة الخزانة الأميركية عقيل على لائحة المواطنين المدرجين بشكل خاص في 21 يوليو 2015، وذلك بموجب الأمر التنفيذي رقم 13582، بالنظر إلى عمله لصالح حزب الله أو بالنيابة عنه. وأدرجت وزارة الخارجية الأميركية عقيل على لائحة الإرهابيين الدوليين المدرجين بشكل خاص في 10 أيلول/سبتمبر 2019 بموجب الأمر التنفيذي رقم 13224 بصيغته المعدلة. وقد تم نتيجة لعمليات الإدراج هذه – من بين عواقب أخرى – تجميد كافة الممتلكات والمصالح في الممتلكات الخاصة بعقيل والخاضعة للولايات القضائية الأميركية، ويحظر بشكل عام على المواطنين الأميركيين إبرام أي تعاملات مع عقيل. ينحدر إبراهيم عقيل من بيئة شيعية محافظة جنوب لبنان، وهو من الشخصيات التي ارتبطت بعمليات ميليشيا حزب الله منذ نشأتها في بداية الثمانينيات. تتسم شخصية عقيل بالغموض والتكتم، حيث يفضل العمل خلف الكواليس، بعيدًا عن الأضواء الإعلامية، وهو ما يتماشى مع طبيعة قيادات ميليشيا حزب الله العسكرية التي تعتمد على السرية في عملها. ويلاحق القضاء اللبناني عقيل لارتباطه بمحاولة اغتيال رئيس الوزراء الأسبق شفيق الوزان. وأدرجت وزارة الخارجية حزب الله كمنظمة إرهابية أجنبية في 8 أكتوبر 1997 بموجب المادة 219 من قانون الهجرة والجنسية بصيغته المعدلة، كما أدرجت وزارة الخزانة حزب الله على لائحة الإرهابيين الدوليين المدرجين بشكل خاص في 31 تشرين الأول/أكتوبر 2001 بموجب الأمر التنفيذي رقم 13224 بصيغته المعدلة.
مطلوب لدى أميركا وإسرائيل… من هو إبراهيم عقيل المستهدف بالغارة الإسرائيلية؟ قائد «قوة الرضوان» في «حزب الله» المعروف باسم «تحسين» بيروت/الشرق الأوسط»/20 أيلول/2024 استهدفت الغارة الإسرائيلية على الضاحية الجنوبية، اليوم (الجمعة)، قائد «قوة الرضوان» في «حزب الله»، إبراهيم عقيل، المعروف باسم «تحسين»، ولم يتم تأكيد مقتله حتى الساعة. فمن هو إبراهيم عقيل؟ إبراهيم عقيل هو أحد القيادات العسكرية البارزة في «حزب الله»، ولعب دوراً محورياً في تطوير القدرات العسكرية للحزب، خصوصاً في مجال العمليات الميدانية والاستخباراتية. ويُعد عقيل من القادة المؤثرين الذين شاركوا في تنظيم وتوجيه عمليات عسكرية معقدة ضد إسرائيل. وخدم عقيل في مجلس الجهاد، الذي هو أعلى هيئة عسكرية في «حزب الله»، وحسب وسائل إعلام محلية، فإن إبراهيم عقيل عُيّن بدلاً من فؤاد شكر، وهو مرافق نعيم قاسم. وقالت «القناة 13» العبرية، إن «إبراهيم عقيل هو الشخصية رقم 3 في (حزب الله)، الذي أصبح مؤخراً الرقم 2». متهم بتفجير السفارة الأميركية ومركز «المارينز» وخلال الثمانينات، كان عقيل عضواً رئيسياً في تنظيم «الجهاد الإسلامي» الذي تبنى تفجيرات السفارة الأميركية في بيروت في أبريل (نيسان) 1983، وسببت مقتل 63 شخصاً، والهجوم على ثكنات مشاة البحرية الأميركية (المارينز) في أكتوبر (تشرين الأول) 1983، الذي أدى إلى مقتل 241 كادراً أميركياً، حسب الموقع الرسمي لوزارة الخارجية الأميركية. ووفق الموقع، أمر عقيل في الثمانينات بأخذ رهائن أميركيين وألمان في لبنان واحتجزهم. وخصص برنامج مكافآت من أجل العدالة مكافأة تصل إلى 7 ملايين دولار لمعلومات عنه. في 21 يوليو (تموز) 2015، صنفت وزارة الخزانة الأميركية عقيل إرهابياً بموجب الأمر التنفيذي 13582 لقيامه بالعمل لصالح «حزب الله» أو نيابة عنه. بعد ذلك، في 10 نوفمبر (تشرين الثاني) 2019، صنفت وزارة الخارجية الأميركية عقيل على أنه إرهابي عالمي مصنف بشكل خاص بموجب الأمر التنفيذي 13224 بصيغته المعدلة. وعرضت وزارة الخارجية الأميركية مكافأة مالية تصل إلى 7 ملايين دولار لمن يدلي بمعلومات تؤدي إلى اعتقاله.
IDF strike kills Hezbollah Radwan Force chief Ibrahim Aqil in Beirut Jerusalem Post/September 20/2024 Security sources told Reuters that other members of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force were killed when the Israeli strike hit a meeting they were attending. The IDF conducted a targeted strike on Radwan Force commander and head of Hezbollah Operations Ibrahim Aqil in Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday, killing the high-ranking terrorist. Security sources told Reuters that other members of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force were killed when the Israeli strike hit a meeting they were attending. Hezbollah-run publication Al-Manar claimed that more than one strike targeted southern Beirut. Lebanese media placed the strike site in the Al-Qaim neighborhood of Beirut. The Lebanese Health Ministry claimed that eight had been killed in the strike and that another 59 were wounded. Initially, Reuters reported that a thick cloud of smoke was seen climbing over the Lebanese capital, adding that residents of the city’s southern suburbs reported hearing a blast. Israeli and foreign media reported that the meeting was between Palestinian and Hezbollah officials. The Jerusalem Post was not able to confirm the report at this time. The strike follows massive Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel overnight between Thursday and Friday, during which some 50 homes in the Israeli border community of Metulla were reportedly damaged. Additionally, rocket falls and shrapnel sparked fires across several locations in the North. The IDF noted that the Home Front Command’s defensive guidelines for Israeli residents, notably those in northern Israel, are currently unchanged. “We are in a new phase of the war and continue to pursue Hezbollah,” an Israeli official told Ynet after the strike. “We are preparing for a response. Everything is on the table.” Rocket sirens sound in North after strike in southern Lebanon. Roughly an hour after the strike, drone intrusion sirens sounded across northern Israel, including the cities of Safed and Kiryat Shmona. Previously, on January 2, the IDF killed Wissam al-Tawil, known as Jawad, a key Radwan operations commander in southern Lebanon. Akil was Jawil’s commander.
Hezbollah confirms death of senior leader Ibrahim Aqil in Israeli airstrike LBCI/September 20/2024 Hezbollah has confirmed the death of senior military leader Ibrahim Aqil, also known by the alias Haj Abdul Qader, following an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut. In a statement released Friday night, the group hailed Aqil as a key figure in its resistance against Israel and vowed to continue his mission. Aqil, a prominent figure in Hezbollah’s military wing and a member of its Jihad Council, was described as having spent his life in “jihad, work, wounds, sacrifices, dangers, challenges, achievements, and victories.” The statement, quoting a verse from the Quran, emphasized that Aqil was deserving of the “divine medal of martyrdom” and praised his dedication to the cause of liberating Jerusalem. “Jerusalem was always in his heart, mind and soul day and night. His biggest dream was to pray in its mosque,” the statement read, referring to Aqil’s commitment to Hezbollah’s broader goal of opposing Israeli control over Jerusalem. The militant group expressed pride in presenting Aqil as a martyr, reaffirming its commitment to his cause. “The Islamic resistance presents one of its great leaders today as a martyr on the path to Jerusalem and vows to remain loyal to his goals, hopes and path until victory, God willing,” the statement added. Hezbollah extended condolences to its supporters and to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, thanking the group’s loyal followers for their steadfastness. Aqil’s death was framed as part of the broader struggle of Hezbollah and its allies, with the group offering prayers for his family and the families of other martyrs. The airstrike targeting Aqil has escalated tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, as the group continues to play a significant role in regional conflicts, particularly in Lebanon and the region. This development marks a significant blow to Hezbollah, which has seen several key figures targeted in recent months. It is unclear how the group will respond to the loss of one of its senior leaders.
Israel says it killed top Hezbollah military commander in Beirut strike Barak Ravid/Axios/September 20/2024 The Israeli military said it killed top Hezbollah military commanders, including the militia’s head of operations Ibrahim Aqil, on Friday in an airstrike on a southern Beirut neighborhood. Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 12 people were killed and dozens more were wounded. Hezbollah has not confirmed Aqil’s death. The IDF said Aqil was the head of Hezbollah’s military operations and the commander of the elite Radwan Forces, and claimed he was in charge of a plan to invade northern Israel. He was killed along with other commanders in the unit, the IDF said. An Israeli official said the senior command of the Radwan forces — about 20 commanders — were killed in the strike. IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a press conference that Aqil and the Radwan unit commanders were killed as they held a meeting under a building. Driving the news: The attack comes several days after the remote detonations of pagers and Walkie-Talkies that killed close to 40 people and wounded more than 3,000 others. Hezbollah said many members of its military units and institutions died or were injured in the attacks. A senior Israeli official said Israel did not inform the U.S. in advance of the attack in Beirut on Friday, but briefed senior U.S. officials on the matter immediately after it was carried out. White House spokesperson John Kirby said he was not aware of any prior notice Israel gave the U.S. about the Beirut strike. Kirby said the U.S. still believes a diplomatic solution for the fighting on the Israel-Lebanon border is possible. He stressed that a war between Israel and Lebanon isn’t inevitable “and we are trying to prevent it.” The latest: President Biden said at the top of the cabinet meeting on Friday that the administration is working on a solution that would allow civilians in northern Israel and southern Lebanon to go back to their homes. “We have to get this done, but we still have a way to go,” Biden said. Zoom in: Aqil is one of the founders of Hezbollah’s military wing. He is wanted by the U.S. for his involvement in the bombings of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in April 1983, which killed 63 people, and the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in October 1983, which killed 241 U.S. personnel. What they’re saying: An Israeli official described the assassination as “a huge blow” for Hezbollah’s military command and control structure. Another Israeli official said that after Fuad Shukr was killed by Israel Defense Forces in July, Aqil replaced him as Hezbollah’s top military commander. The Israeli official said Israel reached the conclusion that it wouldn’t be able to reach a diplomatic solution to the situation on the northern border without going through a military escalation. “This is why we have been gradually taking our gloves off and increasing our attacks against Hezbollah,” the official said. Israel says its strike on Beirut killed top Hezbollah military official as Lebanon reports 12 died Bassem Mroue And Julia Frankel/BEIRUT (AP)/September 20, 2024 Israel launched a rare airstrike that killed a senior Hezbollah military official in a densely populated neighborhood of southern Beirut on Friday, the Israeli army said. It was the deadliest such attack on Lebanon’s capital in years. At least 12 others were reported killed in the attack. The Israeli military’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said the strike on Beirut’s southern Dahiya district targeted and killed Ibrahim Akil, a commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, as well as 10 other Hezbollah operatives. There was no immediate confirmation of Akil’s death from Hezbollah. The Israeli military did not elaborate on the identities of the other commanders allegedly killed in the strike on the crowded urban neighborhood. Lebanese health officials said at least 12 people were killed and 66 others were wounded there. Nine of the wounded, they said, were in serious condition. A Hezbollah official confirmed that Akil was supposed to be in the building that was hit but gave no further information. Akil has served on Hezbollah’s highest military body, the Jihad Council, and has been sanctioned by the United States for being involved in two terrorist attacks in 1983 that killed more than 300 people at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and the U.S. Marine Corps barracks. Lebanon’s local networks aired footage showing first responders combing through the rubble of two flattened apartment buildings in Jamous area, just kilometers from downtown Beirut where Hezbollah conducts many of its political and security operations. The strike hit during rush hour as people were leaving work and children heading home from school. “The attack in Lebanon is to protect Israel,” Hagari said at a news conference following the strike, describing Akil as one of Hezbollah militants responsible for the group’s regular rocket fire into Israel. earlier on Friday, Hezbollah pounded northern Israel with 140 rockets as the the region awaited the revenge promised by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah over this week’s mass bombing attack on pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members. The strike — apparently the deadliest such Israeli attack on a neighborhood of Beirut since Israel and Hezbollah fought a bloody, monthlong war in 2006 — signaled a major escalation in the past 11 months of cross-border attacks. Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire regularly since since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel triggered the Israeli military’s devastating offensive in Gaza. But the cross-border attacks, while raising fears of an all-out regional war, have largely struck evacuated communities in northern Israel and less-populated parts of southern Lebanon. The last time Israel hit Beirut was in a July airstrike that killed senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr. Speaking to journalists, Hagari described Shukr and Akil as two military officials closest to Hezbollah leader Nasrallah. He accused Akil of plotting a series of attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians that stretched over the decades, as well as master-minding an unfulfilled plan to invade northern Israel in a similar way to the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks. Last year, the State Department posted a $7 million reward for information leading to Akil’s identification, location, arrest or conviction and said he also directed the taking of American and German hostages in Lebanon in the 1980s. Following the Israeli airstrike on Beirut, Hezbollah announced two more attacks on northern Israel, one of which it said targeted an intelligence base from which it claimed Israel directed assassinations, the latest in a string of rocket barrages this week targeting Israeli military sites that Israel said caused limited damage and no casualties. Fire crews were working to extinguish blazes caused by pieces of debris that fell to the ground in several areas. The Israeli army ordered residents in parts of the Golan Heights and northern Israel to avoid public gatherings, minimize movements and stay close to shelters in anticipation of further rocket fire. The region has been even more on edge since Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies exploded en masse this week, killing at least 20 people and wounding thousands in Lebanon in attacks widely attributed to Israel. The sophisticated attacks have heightened fears that the cross-border exchanges of fire will escalate into all-out war. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the attacks. The Israeli military said that 120 missiles were launched at areas of the Golan Heights, Safed and the Upper Galilee, some of which were intercepted. the military said. The military didn’t say whether any missiles had hit targets or caused any casualties. Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged near-daily fire since Oct. 8, a day after the Israel-Hamas war’s opening salvo, but Friday’s rocket barrages were heavier than normal. Nasrallah on Thursday vowed to keep up daily strikes on Israel despite this week’s deadly sabotage of its members’ communication devices, which he described as a “severe blow.” In recent days, Israel has moved a powerful fighting force up to the northern border, officials have escalated their rhetoric, and the country’s security Cabinet has designated the return of tens of thousands of displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel an official war goal. Fighting in Gaza has slowed, but casualties continue to rise. Overnight, Palestinian authorities said that 15 people were killed in multiple Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.Those included six people, including an unknown number of children, in an airstrike early Friday morning in Gaza City that hit a family home, Gaza’s Civil Defense said. Another person was killed in Gaza City when a strike hit a group of people on a street. Israel maintains that it only targets militants, and accuses Hamas and other armed groups of endangering civilians by operating in residential areas. The military, which rarely comments on individual strikes, had no immediate comment. Gaza’s Health Ministry says that more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count, but says a little over half of those killed were women and children. The war has caused vast destruction and displaced about 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.
Whole of Hezbollah’s senior command level likely damaged’ Yaakov Lappin/Israel Today/September 20/2024 Former defense official says beeper attack joins other strikes that appear to be “softening up” the terrorist group ahead of future developments. As the dust settles from the mass pager and radio communication blasts that rocked Hezbollah in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, and caused thousands of injuries and dozens of deaths in the ranks of the Iran-backed terror army, observers have begun to assess the damage incurred by the Islamist group.In a televised speech on Thursday, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged that his organization absorbed an unprecedented blow to its personnel and security, adding that there was no dispute that “the enemy has technological superiority.” Nasrallah and other Hezbollah leaders have vowed retaliation. The historic attack has severely disrupted Hezbollah’s operational infrastructure by taking thousands of commanders off the battlefield due to injuries, hundreds of them severe, while eliminating much of its ability to communicate with field operatives, since pagers were meant to be a safer replacement for smart phones, which the group considers too vulnerable to espionage. As such, the damage to Hezbollah’s command structure, communications infrastructure and morale is considered significant, damaging the organization’s ability to function confidently. Hezbollah on its knees According to Cmdr. (res.) Eyal Pinko, a researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University and a former Israeli Navy officer, who also served in an intelligence organization, the attack struck up to 3,000 terror operatives in “less than a second. “If you just look at the persons who were carrying those beepers, this is probably the senior commanders and above. So it’s from the battalion commanders and above. So probably what is happening now in Hezbollah is that all the commanding structure from, let’s say, the rank of lieutenant colonel in a regular military to the generals, the two or three generals, are totally injured or some of them are already died. So now to get even to the time to reset and to start to understand what is happening, it will take a few days.”The surprise attack left Hezbollah on its knees, he added, though the organization’s opposition in Lebanon still does not stand a chance against the Islamist group’s armed operatives, estimated to number almost 100,000 (including reserve forces). “You need to have a huge army in order to, to compete with them,” said Pinko. However, the 3,000 or so injured operatives mean that an enormously significant number of senior commanders are not functional—in all likelihood, “all [of the] senior commanding level were damaged,” he assessed. Hezbollah operatives in Syria were also hurt in the pager blasts. And on Sept. 9, international media reports said Israeli special forces and aircraft struck an IRGC missile site in Hama, western Syria, which was designed to produce accurate missiles for Hezbollah. That attack, said Pinko, harmed the group’s ability to get hold of “kits that make their bombs more accurate—the rocket accuracy program. So all these moves kind of look like softening up the target before actually striking,” he said. On July 31, the Israeli Air Force killed Hezbollah’s second in command, Fuad Shukr, considered to be the organization’s “military” chief of staff, landing another blow. Pinko said that strike and others like it showcased “very precise, very accurate, very good intelligence, amazing intelligence.” Meanwhile, as international media reports focus on the pager attack, less attention has been given to how the explosive material in them was activated. Malicious code Barak Gonen, senior lecturer at the Jerusalem College of Technology and a former cybersecurity official in the Israel Defense Forces, told JNS that in theory, “Getting a remote device to run a malicious code requires uploading the code into the device before execution, which is an immense task if done remotely.” He added, “I would assume that all modern intelligence agencies employ experts that master the skills of attacking remote devices. However, in this event, as the details unfold it becomes more apparent that the devices were ‘treated’ before handling them to Hezbollah. As an attacker, holding the device in your hand makes it far easier to attack, as you can alter the code that is running in the device. What the attacker would need to do is have an image of the new code, and then burn it into the device pretty much in the same manner that the factory, or cellphone technicians, do.”
Concerns Grow as Conflict Escalates Between Israel and Hezbollah Anna Gordon/Time/September 20, 2024 Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon’s southern village of Kfar Kila on Sept. 20, 2024. Lebanon’s Hezbollah has traded near-daily fire with Israeli forces in support of ally Hamas since the Palestinian militant group’s Oct. 7 attack triggered war in the Gaza Strip, with repeated escalations during more than 11 months of the cross-border violence. U.S., U.K. and United Nations officials urged restraint as tensions ramped up between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Lebanon’s health ministry reported that at least eight people were killed and 59 people were wounded in an Israeli airstrike in Southern Beirut on Sept. 20. The strike was a targeted assassination aimed at top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil, who was killed in the attack, according to Reuters. After days of escalating conflict, Israel carried out extensive airstrikes targeting Southern Lebanon on Sept. 19 and Hezbollah retaliated on Sept. 20, prompting fears of further conflict and a wider Middle East war. It comes just days after thousands of pagers and other wireless devices, many of which were used by Hezbollah, exploded in Lebanon and parts of Syria in an unprecedented deadly attack that killed at least 37 people and wounded 3,000. While Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, Hezbollah officials and multiple news outlets have suggested that the Israeli government was responsible. Hezbollah said on Sept. 20 that it had launched multiple strikes targeting Israel’s military in the north of the country. Around 140 rockets were launched at northern Israel, the IDF said, with some fired at the occupied Golan Heights, Safed, and Upper Galilee areas intercepted. The IDF later said that it had launched an airstrike on Lebanon’s capital Beirut. In a post on social media platform X earlier in the day, the Israel Foreign Ministry wrote, “Make no mistake: those who harm the people of Israel will pay the price.” The 15-member United Nations Security Council is expected to meet today to discuss the tensions. A spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Peace Keeping Force in Lebanon, expressed concern about the tensions at the border between Israel and Lebanon. “We are concerned at the increased escalation across the Blue Line and urge all actors to immediately de-escalate,” Andrea Tenenti, told Reuters. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said that the U.S. is “afraid and concerned about potential escalation.” During a press briefing on Sept. 19, Jean-Pierre said, “The way to move forward is diplomatic resolution. We think it is achievable. Obviously it is urgent.” She added: “Diplomacy is key here when we talk about potential escalation, which we do not want to see.” On Sept. 18, Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, called on “all parties” to avoid further escalating the conflict. Meanwhile, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Sept. 19. In October 2023, Hezbollah began striking Israel’s Northern border region in solidarity with Gaza, where there is an ongoing war with Israel. Israel has responded with cross-border attacks, and the two groups have been trading strikes almost daily for nearly a year. Until now, neither group has let things escalate into a full-scale war, but some in the diplomatic community are concerned that could change soon. Israel says its goal is to allow all internally displaced Israelis to return to their homes in the border region. Currently, 97,000 Lebanese people and 60,000 Israelis have been forced to evacuate their homes since the tensions began in October of last year, according to Al Jazeera. Late on the evening of Sept. 16, before the pager attack, Netanyahu’s security cabinet officially added the safe return of Israel’s Northern residents to their homes as one of the war’s goals. “The possibility for an agreement is running out as Hezbollah continues to ‘tie itself’ to Hamas, and refuses to end the conflict,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sept. 16. “Therefore, the only way left to ensure the return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes, will be via military action.”Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address on Sept. 19 that Israel’s actions were a declaration of war and vowed to respond. “The enemy crossed all rules, laws, and red lines. It didn’t care about anything at all, not morally, not humanely, not legally,” he said. “It can be called war crimes or a declaration of war–whatever you choose to name it, it is deserving and fits the description.” He also said that Israel would pay a price for its actions and that Hezbollah would continue cross-border attacks so long as Israel maintains its presence in Gaza. “The enemy will face a severe and fair punishment from where they expect and don’t expect,” he said.
To fellow Lebanese: Hussain Abdul-Hussain/X site/September 20/2024 https://x.com/hahussain/status/1836823577297055918 Nasrallah today said Lebanon will remain at war with Israel as long as the war in Gaza continues. The question is, who died and made Nasrallah the king of Lebanon? No one ever elected or commissioned him to take the Lebanese to an open-ended war. We know that Nasrallah has also rigged the 2022 election (using violence against all Shia opponent candidates to secure the undisputed reelection of his puppet speaker), and today Nasrallah’s speaker keeps parliament shut to prevent election of a president. Nasrallah dictates what puppet acting PM Mikati says or does. Change lawmakers have turned out to be a huge disappointment, employing the same brown-nosing-to-Hezbollah tactics that establishment politicians have perfected since 2008. The only standing Lebanese bloc worth some praise is the Lebanese Forces, but even then, the LF today are far from when they used to be a leading sovereignty force. The Lebanese economy is in tatters. Almost everyone living in Lebanon is living off diaspora remittances. State has stopped supplying electricity, water, or collecting trash regularly. Police is tanking and crime is surging. Poverty is so widespread that the World Food Program is feeding over one third of the population. AND YET, Without being consulted, the Lebanese are expected to war with Israel until Hamas, which started a war on Israel on 10/7, is saved and given the reign of Gaza back. How is Hamas and Gaza a priority over Lebanese interests? How can Lebanon climb out of its hole with endless war? Why is the fate of Palestinians — in Gaza and elsewhere — a priority over that of the Lebanese? We all know that Nasrallah is doing the bidding of Islamist #Iran regime, distracting Israel enough for Tehran to produce a nuclear bomb and become a regional power. But why should the Lebanese pay the price for Iranian ambitions or the Palestinian project to construct another failing Islamist state — Palestine — under the thumb of Iran? The ideas above are for an inter-Lebanese discussions. Don’t mind the noise of bored Middle Class Westerners (at US Congress, Harvard, Georgetown or the UN) who are taking Hezbollah’s side. These self-anointed “global freedom fighters” have always taken the side of tyrants, whether Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein or the Assad dynasty. Think for yourselves. Think independently. And let’s debate what best serves the interest of Lebanon and the Lebanese. To my mind, immediate and unconditional peace with Israel is the answer. I know such idea is currently a social taboo and unsafe for those who are still living in Lebanon, but change will never come by recycling the same old, tested and failed, ideas. Siyadeh, Huriyyeh, Isti2lal. Hussain Abdul-Hussain On May 25, 2000, #Israel unilaterally withdrew from #Lebanon and the UN verified its fulfillment of UNSC 425. Since 2000, Hezbollah has not stopped waging wars on Israel, and the world has always taken Hezbollah’s side. Imagine what would happen if Israel unilaterally withdraws from West Bank or Gaza. The world is biased against Israel either way, whether it withdraws or not. Antisemitism is still like we’re in the 1930s.
Now paging Hassan Nasrallah Audio/FDD/September 18/2024 Bill Roggio/Senior Fellow and Editor of FDD’s Long War Journal Joe Truzman/Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal David Daoud/Senior Fellow Bill is joined by Joe and David to discuss yesterday and today’s explosions of devices belonging to Hezbollah terrorists across Lebanon.
Exclusive-Hezbollah handed out pagers hours before blasts – even after checks Laila Bassam and Maya Gebeily/Reuters/September 20, 2024 BEIRUT (Reuters) -Lebanon’s Hezbollah was still handing its members new Gold Apollo branded pagers hours before thousands of the devices blew up this week, two security sources said, indicating the group was confident they were safe despite an ongoing sweep of electronic equipment to identify threats. One member of the Iranian-backed militia received a new pager on Monday that exploded the next day while it was still in its box, said one of the sources. A pager given to a senior member just days earlier injured a subordinate when it detonated, the second source said. In an apparently coordinated attack, the Gold Apollo branded devices detonated on Tuesday across Hezbollah’s strongholds of south Lebanon, Beirut’s suburbs and the eastern Bekaa valley. On Wednesday, hundreds of Hezbollah walkie-talkies exploded. The consecutive attacks killed 37 people, including at least two children, and injured more than 3,000 people. Lebanon and Hezbollah say Israel was behind the attacks. Israel’s secretive military intelligence Unit 8200 was involved in the planning, a Western security source told Reuters this week. Israel, which has since stepped up airstrikes on Lebanon, has neither denied or confirmed involvement. The batteries of the walkie-talkies were laced with a highly explosive compound known as PETN, another Lebanese source familiar with the device’s components told Reuters on Friday. Up to three grams of explosives hidden in the pagers had gone undetected for months by Hezbollah, Reuters reported earlier this week. One of the security sources said it was very hard to detect the explosives “with any device or scanner.” The source did not specify what type of scanners Hezbollah had run the pagers through. Hezbollah examined the pagers after they were delivered to Lebanon, starting in 2022, including by travelling through airports with them to ensure they would not trigger alarms, two additional sources told Reuters. In total, Reuters spoke to six sources familiar with the details of the exploding devices for this story. The sources did not specify the name of the airports where they conducted the tests. Rather than a specific suspicion of the pagers, the checks had been part of a routine “sweep” of its equipment, including communications devices, to find any indications that they were laced with explosives or surveillance mechanisms, one of the security sources said. The attacks, and the distribution of the devices despite the routine sweep and checks for breaches, have struck at Hezbollah’s reputation as the most formidable of Iran’s allied ‘Axis of Resistance’ umbrella of anti-Israel irregular forces across the Middle East. In a televised speech on Thursday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said the attacks were “unprecedented in the history” of the group. Hezbollah’s media office and Israel’s armed forces did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story. Taiwan-based Gold Apollo has said it did not manufacture the devices used in the attack, saying they were made by a company in Europe licensed to use the firm’s brand. Reuters has not been able to establish where they were made or at what point they were tampered with. A batch of 5,000 of the pagers were brought into Lebanon earlier this year. Reuters previously reported that Hezbollah turned to pagers in an attempt to evade Israeli surveillance of its mobile phones, following the killing of senior commanders in targeted airstrikes over the past year. Hezbollah’s conflict with Israel dates back decades but has flared up in the past year in parallel with the Gaza war, heightening worries of a full-blown regional war. TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE After the pagers detonated on Tuesday, Hezbollah suspected more of its devices may have been compromised, two of the security sources, as well as an intelligence source, told Reuters. In response, it intensified the sweep of its communications systems, carrying out careful examinations of all devices. It also began investigating the supply chains through which the pagers were brought in, the two security sources said. But the review had not been concluded by Wednesday afternoon, when the hand-held radios exploded. Hezbollah believes that Israel opted to detonate the group’s hand-held radios because it feared Hezbollah would soon find that the walkie-talkies were also rigged with explosives, one of the sources told Reuters. The walkie-talkie explosions left 25 people dead and at least 650 injured, according to Lebanon’s health ministry – a much higher fatality rate than the previous day’s pager blasts, which killed 12 and wounded nearly 3,000. That is because they carried a higher payload of explosives than the beepers, one of the security sources and the intelligence source said. The group’s probe into precisely where, when and how the devices were laced with explosives is ongoing, three of the sources said. Nasrallah later said the same in the speech on Thursday. One of the security sources said Hezbollah had foiled previous Israeli operations targeting devices imported from abroad by the group – from its private landline telephones to ventilation units in the group’s offices. That includes suspected breaches in the past year. “There are several electronic issues that we were able to discover – but not the pagers,” the source said. “They tricked us, hats off to the enemy.”
Over 100 rockets fly into Israel from Hezbollah as world leaders urge de-escalation KEVIN SHALVEY and ELLIE KAUFMAN/ABC News/September 20, 2024 Israel launches airstrikes in LebanonScroll back up to restore default view. As scores of rockets flew from Lebanon toward northern Israel on Friday, officials with the U.S. and other international leaders urged Hezbollah and Israel to seek diplomatic paths to de-escalate the conflict. About 120 rockets were fired toward Israel by midday on Friday, the Israel Defense Forces told ABC News. Israel on Thursday struck more than 100 Hezbollah targets within Lebanon, the military said. U.S. officials have this week privately urged their Israeli counterparts to find a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday. He added that U.S. was committed to the defense of Israel from all terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies. “We will continue to stand by Israel’s right to defend itself,” Miller said during a press briefing Thursday. “But we don’t want to see any party escalate this conflict, period.” Miller and other U.S. officials joined a chorus of international officials who were also asking Israel and Hezbollah to step back from a conflict that’s at risk of spreading and increasing in intensity. Israel and Hezbollah have for most of the last 11 months fired a near-daily volley of projectiles across the border. Those strikes appeared on Thursday to take on a new urgency, as Israel launched a series of strikes on Hezbollah targets within Lebanon. The strikes were among the largest in almost a year. And they followed an attack with explosives hidden in pagers and walkie-talkies in both Lebanon and Syria, a deadly surprise attack that Israel was behind, according to a source. A spokesperson for the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon told Reuters on Friday the agency was also calling for de-escalation after seeing this week “a heavy intensification of the hostilities across the Blue Line,” a reference to the border between Israel and Lebanon. European leaders had on Thursday made similar pleas. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy both called for de-escalation in the Middle East in separate public statements. Macron posted a message in French on social media addressing the Lebanese people, saying they cannot live in fear of an imminent war and conflict must be avoided. Lammy said he met with his American, French, German and Italian counterparts Thursday and all four of them agreed that “we want to see a negotiated political settlement” between Israel and the Lebanon-based militant group. “We are all very, very clear that we want to see a negotiated political settlement so that Israelis can return to their homes in northern Israel and indeed, Lebanese can return to their homes,” Lammy told reporters Thursday. He added, “And that’s why tonight I’m calling for an immediate cease-fire from both sides so that we can get to that settlement, that political settlement that’s required ABC News’ Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
Thousands of exploding devices in Lebanon trigger a nation that has been on edge for years Zeina Karam And Kareem Chehayeb/BEIRUT (AP)/September 20, 2024 Chris Knayzeh was in a town overlooking Lebanon’s capital when he heard the rumbling aftershock of the 2020 Beirut port blast. Hundreds of tons of haphazardly stored ammonium nitrates had exploded, killing more than 200 people and injuring thousands. Already struggling with the country’s economic collapse, the sight of the gigantic mushroom cloud unleashed by the blast was the last straw. Like many other Lebanese, he quit his job and booked a one-way ticket out of Lebanon. Knayzeh, now a lecturer at a university in France, was visiting Lebanon when news broke Tuesday of a deadly attack in which thousands of handheld pagers were blowing up in homes, shops, markets and streets across the country. Israel, local news reports said, was targeting the devices of the militant Hezbollah group. Stuck in Beirut traffic, Knayzeh started panicking that drivers around him could potentially be carrying devices that would explode. Within minutes, hospitals were flooded with bloodied patients, bringing back painful reminders of the port blast four years ago that left enduring mental and psychological scars for those who lived through it. A day later, a similar attack struck walkie-talkies. In total, the explosions killed at least 37 people and injured more than 3,000, many of them civilians. Israel is widely believed to be behind the blasts, although it has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility. “The country’s state is unreal,” Knayzeh told The Associated Press. The port blast was one of the biggest nonnuclear explosions ever recorded, and it came on top of a historic economic meltdown, financial collapse and a feeling of helplessness after nationwide protests against corruption that failed to achieve their goals. It compounded years of crises that have upended the lives of people in this small country. Four years after the port catastrophe, an investigation has run aground. The ravaged Mediterranean port remains untouched, its towering silos standing broken and shredded as a symbol of a country in ruins. Political divisions and paralysis have left the country without a president or functioning government for more than two years. Poverty is on the rise. On top of that and in parallel with the war in Gaza, Lebanon has been on the brink of all-out war with Israel for the past year, with Israel and Hezbollah trading fire across the border and Israeli warplanes breaking the sound barrier over Beirut almost daily, terrifying people in their homes and offices. “I can’t believe this is happening again. How many more disasters can we endure?” asked Jocelyn Hallak, a mother of three, two of whom now work abroad and the third headed out after graduation next year. “All this pain, when will it end?” A full-blown war with Israel could be devastating for Lebanon. The country’s crisis-battered health care system had been preparing for the possibility of conflict with Israel even before hospitals became inundated with the wounded from the latest explosions. Most of the injuries received were in the face, eyes and limbs — many of them in critical condition and requiring extended hospital stays. Still, Knayzeh, 27, can’t stay away. He returns regularly to see his girlfriend and family. He flinches whenever he hears construction work and other sudden loud sounds. When in France, surrounded by normalcy, he agonizes over family at home while following the ongoing clashes from afar. “It’s the attachment to our country I guess, or at the very least attachment to our loved ones who couldn’t leave with us,” he said. This summer, tens of thousands of Lebanese expatriates came to visit family and friends despite the tensions. Their remittances and money they spend while there help keep the country afloat and in some cases are the main source of income for families. Many, however, cut their vacations short in chaotic airport scenes, fearing major escalation after the assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas commanders in Beirut and Tehran last month, blamed on Israel. Even in a country that has vaulted from one crisis to another for decades, the level of confusion, insecurity and anger is reaching new heights. Many thought the port blast was the most surreal and frightening thing they would ever experience — until thousands of pagers exploded in people’s hands and pockets across the country this week. ’’I saw horrific things that day,” said Mohammad al-Mousawi, who was running an errand in Beirut’s southern suburb, where Hezbollah has a strong presence, when the pagers began blowing up. “Suddenly, we started seeing scooters whizzing by carrying defaced men, some without fingers, some with their guts spilling out. Then the ambulances started coming.”It reminded him of the 2020 port blast, he said. “The number of injuries and ambulances was unbelievable. ““One more horror shaping our collective existence,” wrote Maha Yahya, the Beirut-based director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center. “The shock, the disarray, the trauma is reminiscent of Beirut after the port explosion. Only this time it was not limited to a city but spread across the country,” she said in a social media post. In the aftermath of the exploding pagers, fear and paranoia has taken hold. Parents kept their children away from schools and universities, fearing more exploding devices. Organizations including the Lebanese civil defense advised personnel to switch off their devices and remove all batteries until further notice. One woman said she disconnected her baby monitor and other household appliances. Lebanon’s civil aviation authorities have banned the transporting of pagers and walkie-talkies on all airplanes departing from Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport “until further notice.” Some residents were sleeping with their phones in another room. In the southern city of Tyre, ahead of a speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, city resident Hassan Hajo acknowledged feeling “a bit depressed” after the pager blasts, a major security breach for a secretive organization like Hezbollah. He was hoping to get a boost from Nasrallah’s speech. “We have been through worse before and we got through it,” he said. In his speech, Nasrallah vowed to retaliate against Israel for the attacks on devices, while Israel and Hezbollah traded heavy fire across the border. Israel stepped up warnings of a potential larger military operation targeting the group. Another resident, Marwan Mahfouz, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been threatening Lebanon with war for the past year and he should just do it. “If we are going to die, we’ll die. We are already dying. We are already dead,” he said.
Israel carries out targeted strike in Beirut after Hezbollah hits northern Israel with 140 rockets Bassem Mroue And Julia Frankel/BEIRUT (AP) /September 20, 2024 Israel hit a Beirut suburb with an airstrike Friday, not long after Hezbollah pounded northern Israel with 140 rockets following a vow by the militant group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah to retaliate against Israel for a mass bombing attack, the Israeli military and the militant group said. The Israeli military said it had carried out a “targeted strike” in Beirut. It offered no further immediate details, but explosions could be heard coming from the city’s southern suburbs. Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV reported that a drone fired several missiles on the heavily-populated area known as Dahiyeh. A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media, confirmed to The Associated Press that an airstrike struck the area, without giving further details. The strike came after Hezbollah pounded Israel with 140 rockets, which the Israeli military said came in three waves targeting sites along the ravaged border with Lebanon. Following the attacks, the Israeli military said that it had struck areas across southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, but didn’t provide details of damage. Hezbollah said that its attacks had targeted several sites along the border with Katyusha rockets, including multiple air defense bases as well as the headquarters of an Israeli armored brigade they said they’d struck for the first time. The Israeli military said that 120 missiles were launched at areas of the Golan Heights, Safed and the Upper Galilee, some of which were intercepted. Fire crews were working to extinguish blazes caused by pieces of debris that fell to the ground in several areas, the military said. The military didn’t say whether any missiles had hit targets or caused any casualties. Another 20 missiles were shot at the areas of Meron and Netua, and most fell in open areas, the military said, adding that no injuries were reported. Hezbollah said that the rockets were in retaliation for Israeli strikes on villages and homes in southern Lebanon, not two days of attacks widely blamed on Israel that set off explosives in thousands of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies. On Thursday, Israel said its military had struck “hundreds of rocket launcher barrels” in southern Lebanon, saying that they “were ready to be used in the immediate future to fire toward Israeli territory” The army also ordered residents in parts of the Golan Heights and northern Israel to avoid public gatherings, minimize movements and stay close to shelters in anticipation of the rocket fire that eventually came Friday. Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged near-daily fire since Oct. 8, a day after the Israel-Hamas war’s opening salvo, but Friday’s rocket barrages were heavier than normal. Nasrallah on Thursday vowed to keep up daily strikes on Israel despite this week’s deadly sabotage of its members’ communication devices, which he described as a “severe blow.”At least 20 were killed in the attacks and thousands were wounded when pagers, walkie-talkies and other devices exploded in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday. The sophisticated attacks have heightened fears that the cross-border exchanges of fire will escalate into all-out war. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the attacks. In recent days, Israel has moved a powerful fighting force up to the northern border, officials have escalated their rhetoric, and the country’s security Cabinet has designated the return of tens of thousands of displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel an official war goal. Fighting in Gaza has slowed, but casualties continue to rise. Overnight, Palestinian authorities said that 15 people were killed in multiple Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. Those included six people, including an unknown number of children, in an airstrike early Friday morning in Gaza City that hit a family home, Gaza’s Civil Defense said. Another person was killed in Gaza City when a strike hit a group of people on a street. Israel maintains that it only targets militants, and accuses Hamas and other armed groups of endangering civilians by operating in residential areas. The military, which rarely comments on individual strikes, had no immediate comment. Gaza’s Health Ministry says that more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count, but says a little over half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. More than 95,000 people have also been wounded in Gaza since Oct. 7, the Health Ministry said. The war has caused vast destruction and displaced about 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.
