LIVE UPDATES
Fresh Israel airstrike on Saturday hit the intelligence headquarters of Iran-backed Hezbollah in Beirut, as tension mount around the region.
On Friday, Israel confirmed it was assessing damage following strikes on senior Hezbollah figures, though Iran’s Supreme Leader has debunked these actions as ineffective.
The new tension escalation follows Iran’s ballistic missile attack earlier in the week, which came in response to Israeli military actions in Lebanon.
Following the attacks, oil prices have surged amidst speculation that Israel may extend its strikes to Iran’s oil facilities, further heightening tensions.
The airstrike in Beirut is part of a wider Israeli campaign that has displaced over 1.2 million Lebanese.
The strikes reportedly targeted Hashem Safieddine, the potential successor to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israeli forces a week ago.
Safieddine’s fate remains unclear, and both Israel and Hezbollah have refrained from commenting on the matter.
Explosions were reported in Beirut’s southern suburbs, including Burj al-Barajneh, Choueifat, and Haret Hreik, as Israel issued evacuation alerts to residents as the conflict against momentum.
Hezbollah also claimed in a statement on Saturday that there were ongoing clashes in the southern Lebanese town of Odaisseh, where the Israeli military allegedly attempted to infiltrate.
Commenting on the attack, U.S. President Joe Biden said, Israel might be considering alternatives to striking Iranian oil fields.
Biden said, “No administration has done more to help Israel than I have."
On the other hand, the Lebanese government has condemned Israel’s strikes, claiming over 2,000 people have been killed in the past year, with most deaths occurring in the last two weeks.
The U.S. State Department confirmed the death of Kamel Ahmad Jawad, an American citizen from Dearborn, Michigan, in an Israeli airstrike this week. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller expressed alarm and reiterated the need for Israel to take “all feasible precautions” to minimise civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, tensions between Hezbollah and Israel continue to escalate.
On Friday evening, some 70 projectiles were launched from Lebanon into Israeli territory, although many were intercepted or landed in open areas.
