Israel launches airstrike on Beirut, targeting Hezbollah commander.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) report that they carried out a targeted airstrike in Beirut on a Hezbollah commander in response to a rocket attack that killed 12 children and teenagers in northern Israel last Saturday.

This is the first IDF airstrike on a Hezbollah target in the Lebanese capital since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip on October 7. The Biden administration previously warned Israel against strikes on Beirut, noting that it could cause uncontrolled escalation of the conflict.

Breaking Israel just attacked somewhere in Dahieh Beirut This is what I see from my balcony pic.twitter.com/jLNMZxltJv

— Nafiseh Kohnavard (@nafisehkBBC) July 30, 2024

An Israeli representative said the target of the airstrike was Fuad Shukr, also known as Al-Hajj Mohsin. Shukr is a senior military advisor to Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah and is responsible for all of the group's military operations. He is also wanted by the FBI for his role in the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 American service members.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that the strike was carried out by a drone that fired three missiles at a building adjacent to Hezbollah's headquarters.

BREAKING: Big explosion in Dahiyeh, Beirut #Lebanon, suspected Israeli strike targeting Hezbollah Shura Council. Initial footage from area via Jadeed pic.twitter.com/mhDnqwIl1W

— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) July 30, 2024

The IDF said in a special statement: "We attacked the Hezbollah commander responsible for the murder of children in Majdal Shams and the deaths of many other Israelis." Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant wrote on his Twitter account minutes after the strike: "Hezbollah crossed our red line."

Details about casualties from the strike are not yet reported. The Lebanese government and Hezbollah have not yet publicly responded to the incident.

Israel and the US blamed Hezbollah for the deadly strike on Saturday, which took place on a soccer field in the Druze village of Majdal Shams on the Golan Heights, where 12 children and teenagers were killed and more than 30 others were injured. Hezbollah denies involvement, but White House press secretary John Kirby said at a briefing for journalists on Monday that the US is confident in the group's responsibility.