Early on Saturday morning, the Ministry of Health in Lebanon reports that hospitals in Beirut’s southern suburbs will be evacuated after heavy attacks in the area last night. AFP writes. The authorities are urging the hospitals not affected by the attacks to make room to receive the patients from evacuated hospitals. A series of airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs overnight on Saturday, as Israel stepped up attacks against Hezbollah. Alleged weapons stores are under homes On the night of Saturday, Israeli forces attacked three new targets south of Beirut, in the district of Dahieh, where Hezbollah is based. Ahead of the attacks, the Israeli army (IDF) asked residents of Dahieh to evacuate immediately, because they intended to hit more targets. Video from the IDF’s Telegram account. Thousands of people fled the district. Many of them made their way to downtown Beirut. There they have set up camp in open car parks, in parks and along the coast. They tell news that they feel safer there than in South Beirut. At 02:30 the Israeli military (IDF) issued a new evacuation order for three more residential buildings in the Dahieh district of Beirut. BEIRUT: Many fled their homes and camped in open parking lots in Beirut overnight on Saturday. Photo: Yama Wolasmal / news The IDF claims there are weapons stores stored under civilian buildings. Rejects allegations of weapons caches Hezbollah denies in a statement that there are weapons or weapons caches in the buildings that have been attacked. – There is no truth in the “false Zionist” enemies’ claims about weapons or weapons stores in civilian buildings that they purposefully bombed a short time ago, says a message from Hezbollah, writes the AFP news agency. Lebanon stretches about 20 miles from north to south in the Middle East, with its coastline facing the Mediterranean. Most of the inhabitants of South Beirut are Shiites, and Hezbollah enjoys a large following among them. Worst since 2006 The Reuters news agency reports more than 20 airstrikes before dawn on Saturday, according to witnesses. The attacks on the night of Saturday follow the attack on Friday afternoon. It is described as the biggest and worst attack on Beirut from the Israeli side since 2006. On Saturday morning, Israel announced that they are concentrating new attacks on areas east of Beirut, in the Bekaa valley. Hezbollah reports that the alarm is going off in Israel after they hit back with rockets against Kabri, in the north of Israel. AFP writes. Claims to have killed Hezbollah leaders The IDF claims to have killed the head of Hezbollah’s rocket unit in southern Lebanon and other high-ranking figures in the militia. They write on Telegram that Israeli fighter jets killed Muhammad Ali Ismail, who heads the rocket unit, and also his assistant Hossein Ahmed Ismail. Furthermore, it is said that they were killed together with several Hezbollah commanders. The IDF is also said to have attacked several Hezbollah targets in the Tire area in southern Lebanon. The weapon depots that were attacked are stored under civilian buildings. The target of Friday’s attack, in which six residential blocks in the Dahieh area were razed, was reportedly Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. It is unclear how Nasrallah is doing after Friday’s attack, but a source close to Hezbollah has told Reuters that it has not been possible to contact the leader. The militia has not commented on the leader. Earlier, a source close to Hezbollah told Reuters that Nasrallah was alive. The Iranian news agency Tasnim has also reported that he is alive. Facts about Hezbollah In 1982, Shia Muslim militants came together and created the group Hezbollah. The aim was to fight against Israel’s invasion and occupation of southern Lebanon. The group currently consists of a political and a military branch. It is mostly based in southern Lebanon and is currently led by leader Hassan Nasrallah. Ideologically, they are on the same political line as Iran, and are also supported by Iran. In July 2006, armed conflict broke out again between Hezbollah and Israel. The fighting lasted one month. The Hezbollah militia is now militarily stronger than the Lebanese National Security Forces. On 22 July 2013, the military part of the organization was put on the EU’s terrorist list. Hezbollah is allied with Iran and Hamas, the Palestinian group that rules the Gaza Strip and is at war with Israel. Hezbollah began new attacks against Israel after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Since then, Israel and Hamas have attacked each other a number of times. In July, a rocket hits a soccer field in the Golan Heights, which is controlled by Israel. Shortly afterwards, Israel carries out an airstrike against Beirut which kills Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukur. The following day, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is killed in an attack in Iran’s capital, Tehran. Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran promise revenge against Israel. In August, Israel and Hezbollah carry out a major attack against each other. Source: NTB, Store norske lexikon USA says they were not informed A number of sources have stated that it was Hezbollah’s supreme leader Hassan Nasrallah who was the real target of the attack. Several media have also been informed that he is alive after the attack, but a source close to Hezbollah tells Reuters that contact with the top management has been cut after Friday’s first attack. news’s correspondent Yama Wolasmal was right in the vicinity of the explosions To a greater extent than before, this week Israel has directed attacks directly at Hezbollah’s top leadership. An attempt to liquidate Nasrallah will, regardless of whether it succeeds or not, be a significant escalation. According to the Pentagon, the US was not warned about the attacks in advance. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claims that American-made bombs have been used in the attacks. He believes that the United States shares responsibility for the attack. – You cannot ignore the US’s complicity in the crime, Araghchi told the UN Security Council on Friday. Increased concern The escalation has led to increased concern that the conflict may degenerate further, and that Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas’ most important supporter, will involve itself directly in the conflict, including the United States. Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel on October 8, the day after the Hamas attack in Israel that started the Gaza war. Israel has responded with a series of major attacks in Lebanon, particularly in the south. According to the Lebanese health authorities, over 1,500 people have been killed and over 5,000 have been injured in Israeli attacks since 7 October, among them many civilians. Published 28.09.2024, at 01.40 Updated 28.09.2024, at 08.21
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