Gray Morning in Beirut… and Israel Continues to Bomb the Suburbs

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Buildings flattened to the ground and others completely destroyed, while some streets are buried under rubble, in a scene revealed by the morning sun after a bloody night.

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As the sun rose on Saturday, its rays unveiled the true extent of the devastation on the ground that struck the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, as shown in videos captured by residents of a colorless gray morning.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues to carry out intensive airstrikes on the southern suburb, considered the stronghold of Hezbollah, following a violent strike on a “security square” of the party targeting its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, according to Israeli media.

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A source close to Hezbollah told the “France Presse” agency after the initial strikes that occurred shortly after six in the evening that Nasrallah “is fine,” but after long hours following the strike, no official announcement from the party has been made.
Bombardments continued on the southern suburb overnight, and the Israeli army announced on Saturday morning that it had targeted Hezbollah sites in eastern Lebanon.

In a statement, the army indicated that it is “currently bombing targets… of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Bekaa region” in eastern Lebanon.

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It also noted that sirens had sounded in northern Israel, while Hezbollah announced it had fired rockets at “the colony of Kabri in a salvo of Fadi 1 rockets.”

Displacement and Traffic Jams

Hundreds of families fled urgently during the night from the southern suburb amid the bombardments, after the Israeli army issued warnings for residents in some neighborhoods to evacuate.

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Traffic jams filled the dark streets of the capital due to power outages, as men, women, and children gathered in Martyrs’ Square in the city center and along the Ain el-Mreisseh corniche, spreading out on the ground with concern on their faces.

On Saturday, the Health Ministry announced that hospitals in the southern suburb would evacuate their patients and called in a statement for “the hospitals in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and regions not affected by the Israeli aggression to stop receiving non-urgent cases until the end of next week.”

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This step aims to “make room to accommodate patients currently in the hospitals in the southern suburb of Beirut, which will be evacuated due to the developments of the aggression,” according to the ministry.

The Israeli army announced late Friday/Saturday via the Telegram app that subsequent strikes targeted weapons depots, munitions factories, and command centers of Hezbollah beneath residential buildings.

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The party denied in a brief statement the “claims” from Israel about the existence of weapons depots in residential buildings.

Nasrallah Targeted

The Israeli army announced that the violent strike on the southern suburb targeted the central headquarters of Hezbollah in Haret Hreik, and Israeli television stations reported that the party’s Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, was the target.

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However, a source close to Hezbollah confirmed that Nasrallah “is fine.”

The Israeli army spokesman, Daniel Hagari, stated during a press conference on Friday evening: “We are in the process of verifying the results of the attack on the central headquarters of Hezbollah,” affirming that “we know our attack was very precise.”

The strike on the Hezbollah headquarters produced a tremendous noise that echoed in Beirut and its surroundings, causing fear and panic among residents.

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The strike occurred at 15:30 UTC, causing massive destruction in a densely populated area and creating craters up to five meters in diameter, according to a photographer from the France Presse agency.

A source close to the party indicated it completely destroyed six buildings, while the Health Ministry reported six deaths and 91 injuries, a still provisional toll.

“I felt as if the house was shaking as if a rocket had fallen on me and that my life was over,” said Abir Hamoud, a forty-year-old teacher residing in the suburb, in shock, adding: “It’s an indescribable feeling.”

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The strike was followed by a series of raids on the suburb, the south, and the Bekaa (east).
The Israeli army also announced overnight that it had killed several Hezbollah members in southern Lebanon, including the commander of the missile unit in the south and his deputy.

These strikes are the most violent since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah that lasted 33 days.

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The Israeli army also announced overnight that planes were flying over the area around Beirut airport to prevent Iran, which supports Hezbollah in Lebanon, from sending arms shipments to the party.

Hagari stated: “We will not allow any hostile aircraft carrying military equipment to land here.”