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Israeli Airstrikes Hit Beirut, Targeting Hezbollah Command Center

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A series of Israeli airstrikes rocked the southern suburbs of Beirut early Saturday, as Israel intensified its attacks on Hezbollah. The air raids reportedly targeted the Iran-backed group’s command center, with some reports indicating an attempt to strike its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Witnesses described hearing more than 20 airstrikes before dawn. Thousands of residents from the southern suburbs, following Israeli evacuation orders, fled to central Beirut and nearby seaside areas, seeking refuge in public spaces. “They want to destroy Dahiye, they want to destroy all of us,” said Sari, a local resident who had fled his home.

These strikes mark the most powerful attack on Beirut by Israel during the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah, which has seen daily missile and rocket fire. The escalation has heightened fears of the conflict spiraling into a broader regional war, potentially drawing in Iran and the United States.

While there has been no official confirmation regarding the fate of Nasrallah, a source close to Hezbollah told Reuters that he was unreachable after the strikes. Israel has not confirmed whether it specifically targeted Nasrallah, though a senior Israeli official mentioned that top Hezbollah commanders were the intended targets.

The Israeli military confirmed it had killed the commander of Hezbollah’s missile unit, Muhammad Ali Ismail, and his deputy, Hossein Ahmed Ismail, during the strikes.

Hours earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations, stating that Israel had every right to continue its military campaign against Hezbollah as long as the group chose war. “Israel has no choice, and Israel has every right to remove this threat,” he declared. Several U.N. delegations walked out during his speech, and Netanyahu later cut short his trip to return to Israel.

Lebanese health officials reported at least six people killed and 91 wounded in the initial attacks on Friday, marking the fourth major strike on Hezbollah-controlled areas in Beirut in just one week. Authorities fear that the death toll could rise further as the conflict escalates, with reports indicating that over 700 people have been killed across Lebanon in the past week.

Following the strikes, the Israeli military issued further warnings, advising residents in parts of Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate, claiming it was targeting missile launchers and weapons storage sites located in civilian areas. Hezbollah, however, denied the presence of any weapons in the buildings hit by Israeli airstrikes.

The conflict has displaced around 100,000 people in Lebanon this week alone, with over 200,000 uprooted since the fighting began. Hezbollah has retaliated with hundreds of rockets aimed at Israeli targets, including the northern city of Safed, where a civilian sustained minor injuries.

Fears continue to mount that the conflict could draw in Iran, Hezbollah’s primary backer, especially after Tehran condemned Friday’s strike and accused Israel of using U.S.-made “bunker-busting” bombs. In response, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that Washington was not informed of the strike beforehand. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the need for diplomacy, warning that continued escalation could lead to disastrous consequences.

Israeli Troops Kill Turkish-American Activist at West Bank Protest

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Israeli troops shot and killed Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old Turkish-American activist, during a protest against settlement expansion in the West Bank on Friday, according to Palestinian and Turkish officials. Eygi, who held both U.S. and Turkish citizenship and had recently graduated from the University of Washington, was participating in a demonstration in Beita when she was fatally injured. Turkey’s foreign ministry accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of responsibility for her death, while the White House expressed deep concern and called for an investigation.

Eygi, who was studying psychology and Middle Eastern languages and cultures, was described by her family as a passionate human rights advocate. She had been involved in various protests, including those against U.S. support for Israel’s actions in Gaza. The University of Washington’s president, Ana Mari Cauce, remembered her as a positive influence and peer mentor.

The Israeli military reported that troops fired towards a male protester they deemed a threat but acknowledged that a female foreign national was killed during the incident. The military is reviewing the circumstances of Eygi’s death. No immediate response was given by Netanyahu’s office.

In a related incident, a 13-year-old girl was also killed by Israeli gunfire in the village of Qaryut, near Beita, amid violent confrontations between settlers and Palestinians. The rise in violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank has provoked international criticism and led to U.S. sanctions on some individuals involved in the settler movement.

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan condemned the killing and vowed to work against what he called Israel’s policy of occupation and genocide. U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen criticized the Biden Administration for not doing enough to seek justice for American victims and called for a thorough investigation. Since the 1967 Middle East war, Israel’s occupation of the West Bank has been a contentious issue, with international condemnation of Israeli settlements which are widely considered illegal under international law.

Israel Recovers Bodies of Six Hostages in Gaza Tunnel, Including Israeli-American Goldberg-Polin

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Israel has recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where they were killed shortly before Israeli forces reached them, according to the Israeli military. The victims, identified as Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino, were among approximately 250 hostages taken by Hamas during its attack on southern Israel on October 7.

Military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari reported that the hostages appeared to have been murdered by Hamas terrorists just before Israeli troops arrived. President Isaac Herzog expressed the nation’s collective grief, apologizing for the failure to rescue them alive. The bodies have since been returned to Israel.

The killing of Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American, has drawn international condemnation, including a statement from U.S. President Joe Biden, who expressed devastation and outrage at the murders. Biden paid tribute to the courage of Goldberg-Polin’s parents and vowed that Hamas leaders would face justice for their crimes. He reaffirmed his commitment to securing the release of the remaining hostages.

The recovery of the bodies comes amid ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza and rising death tolls. As of Saturday, Gaza’s health ministry reported over 40,000 Palestinians killed and nearly 94,000 injured since the start of Israel’s military response. Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate a ceasefire deal that would include the release of all remaining hostages.

Hostage rescue efforts continue to be a focal point, as demonstrated by the recent successful recovery of another hostage, Qaid Farhan Alkadi, a Bedouin community member, not far from where the six hostages’ bodies were found. Despite these tragic losses, efforts to secure a ceasefire deal persist, with Biden expressing optimism about reaching an agreement to end the conflict.

The tragedy has intensified protests within Israel, where citizens are demanding that the government expedite a deal for the release of hostages. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have called for global condemnation of Hamas’ continued brutality, pledging unwavering support for the release of hostages and holding Hamas accountable for its actions.

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