A new explosion rocked the southern suburbs of Beirut on Saturday morning, as Israel continued to attack the Lebanese capital at a time when its fortunes Hassan Nasrallah remains uncertain.
The boom from the explosion was heard across the Lebanese capital, while smoke was seen rising after the attack, which witnesses said targeted the mountain town of Bamdoun, southeast of Beirut. The extent of the damage caused is currently unknown.
The Israeli military also announced that it was attacking Hezbollah “terrorist” targets in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon. For its part, Hezbollah announced that it had bombed northern Israel following attacks on its stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Nasrallah’s fate is unknown
More than 15 hours have passed since the attack and Hezbollah has not issued any statement on the fate of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel’s Channel 12 reports that the assessment in the country is that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah he was killed in the attack by Israeli forces on the organization’s clandestine headquarters in Beirut. A second major Israeli broadcaster, Channel 13, is a little more circumspect, declaring: “Moderate optimism in Israel: attack on Nasrallah successful.”
Channel 12 also reported that Zeinab Nasrallah, leader’s daughter of Hezbollah, was reportedly killed in the attack, although there has been no official confirmation from Hezbollah or Lebanese authorities.
بالفيديو: moment استتحدة الداحية بغارات various pic.twitter.com/N7Q8TAIBNI
— He said (@thisislebnews) September 27, 2024
An Israeli official confirmed to The Times of Israel that the attack in Beirut targeted the leader of Hezbollah. “That’s it very hard to imagine him coming out alive of such an attack.”
Israeli media reported the use of 2,000-ton grenades #بيروت pic.twitter.com/wp31HRiZMr
– Lebanon Trend (@LebanonTrend_) September 27, 2024
Amos Yadlin, former head of Israeli military intelligence, said the Beirut attack would not have been authorized unless it was certain that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was in the target area. He also told Channel 12 News that his sources, who he did not identify, are adamant that Nasrallah ‘is no longer with us’