The Israeli Air Force (IAF) overnight Sunday targeted 12 Hezbollah military command centres in Dahiyeh, Beirut, according to an official statement. The sites were reportedly those used by Hezbollah's Intelligence Unit, coast-to-sea missile unit, and Unit 4400, the military said, involved in smuggling weapons from Iran through Syria into Lebanon.
According to the Israeli military, these centers were essential in planning, commanding, and launching terrorist attacks on Israel and monitoring its forces in the southern sector of Lebanon.
⭕️ 12 Hezbollah command centers were struck by the IAF in Dahieh, Beirut, including sites used by Hezbollah's Intelligence Unit, coast-to-sea missile unit, and Unit 4400—responsible for smuggling weapons from Iran through Syria into Lebanon.
These command centers were used to… pic.twitter.com/NQ6xG6DRNN — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 24, 2024
Describing the operation, the Israeli Air Force said that its planes had hit key Hezbollah military headquarters in Dahiyeh in an effort to undermine the group's ability to carry out attacks. "These strikes are a continuation of our efforts to dismantle Hezbollah's weapon production sites and warehouses established over years in Beirut," the Air Force said in a statement.
The Israeli military also said it had taken steps to avoid civilian casualties during the attack.
"Before the attack, many steps were taken in order to reduce the chance of harming civilians, which include gathering preliminary intelligence, accurate observation and advance warnings for the evacuation of the population in the area," a statement by the Israeli military said.
Hezbollah launches 250 rockets, projectiles
In a situation of escalating violence in the region, Hezbollah launched about 250 rockets and projectiles into Israel on Sunday and managed to wound at least seven people, according to news agency AP.
Some of the rockets reached Tel Aviv, causing fires and damaging buildings.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) reported that many of the rockets were intercepted but impacts were reported in cities like Petah Tikva and Nahariya, where a building was hit directly.
Aggression matter for international community: Lebanon's caretaker PM
Responding to Hezbollah's rocket fire, Israeli airstrikes continued pounding militant positions. A strike in southern Lebanon killed a Lebanese soldier and wounded 18 others, an incident the Israeli military called regrettable, saying its operations were aimed solely at Hezbollah militants.
This strike has been condemned by Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, who termed it "a direct and bloody message rejecting all efforts to reach a ceasefire, to bolster the Lebanese army's presence in the south, and to implement UN resolution 1701"
"This aggression is a matter for the international community, which is silent about what is happening to Lebanon," Reuters reported quoting the Lebanese caretaker PM.
The confrontation, which started following Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, has seen Hezbollah up its ante in the conflict while painting its operations as solidarity with Palestinians.
The fighting has resulted in massive casualties: according to Lebanon's health ministry, more than 3,700 have been reported dead, along with 1.2 million displaced. More than 140 deaths have been recorded by Israel, including civilians and soldiers, with tens of thousands displaced from northern Israel regions.
The IDF attacked 12 Hezbollah military headquarters in Dahiyeh in Beirut: the headquarters of the intelligence headquarters, unit 4400, and the organization's coastal missile unit were attacked. pic.twitter.com/A2HQmjuFV0 — Israel War HQ (@IsraelWarHQ) November 24, 2024