Israeli airstrikes rock Beirut; Hezbollah command centre reportedly hit
A wave of air raids hit Beirut’s southern suburbs as Israel stepped up attacks on Hezbollah, after a massive reported strike on the armed group’s command centre that apparently targeted leader Hassan Nasrallah, Reuters reports.
Reuters witnesses heard more than 20 airstrikes before dawn on Saturday.
There was no immediate confirmation of Nasrallah’s fate after Friday’s heavy strikes, but a source close to Hezbollah told Reuters he was not reachable.
The Lebanese armed group has not made a statement.
Israel has not said whether it tried to hit Nasrallah, but a senior Israeli official said top Hezbollah commanders were targeted.
“I think it’s too early to say […] Sometimes they hide the fact when we succeed,” the Israeli official told reporters when asked if the strike on Friday had killed Nasrallah.
Earlier, a source close to Hezbollah told Reuters that Nasrallah was alive.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency also reported he was safe. A senior Iranian security official told Reuters that Tehran was checking his status.