After Hezbollah fires 140 rockets at Israel, IDF retaliates with 'targeted strike' in Beirut

Sept. 20, 2024, 1:42 p.m.

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On Friday, Israel carried out an airstrike in a Beirut suburb, shortly after Hezbollah launched 140 rockets into northern Israel. This came after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed retaliation against Israel for a major bombing attack, as stated by both the Israeli military and the militant group.

The Israeli military said it had carried out a “targeted strike” in Beirut. It offered no further immediate details, but explosions could be heard coming from the city’s southern suburbs.

Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV reported that a drone launched several missiles on the densely populated area known as Dahiyeh.

A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media, confirmed to The Associated Press that an airstrike struck the area, without giving further details.

The Israeli airstrike followed a barrage of 140 rockets launched by Hezbollah into Israel. The Israeli military described these attacks as occurring in three waves, targeting locations along the heavily damaged border with Lebanon.

Following the attacks, the Israeli military said that it had struck areas across southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, but didn’t provide details of damage.

Hezbollah claimed that its attacks targeted numerous locations along the border using Katyusha rockets. These targets included multiple air defense bases and, for the first time, the headquarters of an Israeli armored brigade.

The Israeli military stated that 120 missiles were launched at areas of the Golan Heights, Safed, and the Upper Galilee, some of which were intercepted. Fire crews were working to extinguish fires caused by debris that fell to the ground in various locations, the military said.

The military didn’t say whether any missiles had hit targets or caused any casualties.

Another 20 missiles were launched at the areas of Meron and Netua, with most landing in open fields, the military reported. No injuries were reported.

Hezbollah maintained that the rocket attacks were in retaliation for Israeli strikes on villages and homes in southern Lebanon, and not in response to the two-day series of attacks, widely attributed to Israel, that detonated explosives within thousands of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies.

Advertisement On Thursday, Israel said its military had struck “hundreds of rocket launcher barrels" in southern Lebanon, saying that they “were ready to be used in the immediate future to fire toward Israeli territory”

The Israeli army also advised residents in parts of the Golan Heights and northern Israel to avoid large gatherings, limit their movements, and remain close to shelters in anticipation of the anticipated rocket fire, which ultimately materialized on Friday.

Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged near-daily fire since October 8, a day after the Israel-Hamas war’s opening salvo, but Friday’s rocket barrages were heavier than normal.

On Thursday, Nasrallah declared that Hezbollah would continue its daily attacks on Israel despite the recent serious sabotage of its members' communication devices, which he described as a “severe blow.”

Advertisement At least 20 people were killed and thousands more injured when pagers, walkie-talkies, and other devices exploded in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday.

These sophisticated attacks have heightened concerns that the cross-border exchanges of fire could escalate into a full-scale war. Israel has not confirmed or denied its involvement in the attacks.

In recent days, Israel has amassed a significant military presence along its northern border, officials have intensified their warnings, and the country’s security Cabinet has declared the return of tens of thousands of displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel an official military objective.