Violent Israeli strikes hit Dahieh, Israel says struck Hezbollah's HQ

The Israeli military said it struck the headquarters of Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday, after violent explosions rocked Dahieh and were heard across Beirut.

"The IDF (Israeli army) carried out a precise strike on the central headquarters of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in Dahieh," military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement.

The headquarters "served as the epicenter of Hezbollah's terror," he added.

The strike came soon after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"We will continue degrading Hezbollah until all our objectives are met," he told world leaders at the U.N.

The headquarters is "located under residential buildings in the heart of Dahieh in Beirut," Hagari said.

The massive explosions leveled buildings, sending clouds of orange and black smoke billowing in the skies.

The strike came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the U.N., vowing that Israel's campaign against Hezbollah would continue. Not long before the explosion, thousands were massed in the southern suburbs for the funeral of three Hezbollah members, including a senior commander, killed in earlier strikes.

There was no immediate word on casualties in the strike.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV said four buildings were reduced to rubble in the blast, so powerful it rattled windows and shook houses some 30 kilometers north of Beirut. Ambulances were seen headed to the scene of the explosions, sirens wailing.

Israel dramatically intensified its airstrikes in Lebanon this week, saying it is determined to put an end to more than 11 months of Hezbollah fire into its territory. The scope of Israel’s operation remains unclear, but officials have said a ground invasion to push the militant group away from the border is a possibility. Israel has moved thousands of troops toward the border in preparation.

At the U.N., Netanyahu vowed to “continue degrading Hezbollah” until Israel achieves its goals, further dimming hopes for an internationally backed cease-fire.

That has Lebanese fearing a repeat of the last Israel-Hezbollah war, in 2006, which lasted a month and caused heavy destruction over parts of their country. Or worse, they fear, Lebanon could suffer devastation on the scale caused in Gaza by Israel’s nearly yearlong campaign against Hamas.

At least 25 people were killed in Israeli strikes early Friday, Health Minister Firass Abiad said, bringing the death toll in Lebanon this week to more than 720. He said the dead included dozens of women and children.

The Israeli military said it carried out dozens of strikes over the course of two hours around the south on Friday, including in the cities of Sidon and Nabatiyeh. It said it was targeting Hezbollah rocket launchers and infrastructure.