In a major escalation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a strike targeting the headquarters of militant group Hezbollah, in Lebanon’s Beirut on Friday.
Several Israeli media outlets reported Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasarallah was the target. However, this was denied by a source close to Nasarallah; the source also stated that the Hezbollah secretary-general, is ‘safe.’
Here are the top 10 updates on the story:
(1.) An Israeli official told reporters in New York the strike targeted ‘senior commanders’ of the Iran-backed Shia Islamist outfit, based in Lebanon.
(2.) On Nasarullah’s fate, the official said it is ‘too early’ to speak. “If he is alive, you will know immediately. If not, it may take some time,” the official added.
(3.) US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he had ‘no prior information.’ According to Austin, the operation was underway even as he was on a call with his counterpart, Yoav Gallant.
(4.) US President Joe Biden is receiving latest updates on the developments in the Middle East, reported The New York Times.
(5.) The IDF has urged civilians in Beirut’s Dahiya neighbourhood, which houses Hezbollah’s headquarters, to leave areas being used by the group.
(6.) He claimed Hezbollah has 150,000 rockets to kill Israeli civilians, and asserted the IDF has ‘no conflict’ with the common people of Lebanon.
(7.) Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has called an emergency meeting at his residence, as per NYT.
(8.) The Iranian embassy in Beirut called Friday’s strike a ‘reprehensible crime and reckless behaviour.’
(9.) This ‘dangerous escalation’ has changed ‘the rules of the game,’ the embassy warned.
(10.) Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN’s top official in Lebanon, wrote on social media ‘the city is still shaking with fear.’
(With agency inputs)
