Israel targets Hezbollah intelligence headquarters, 3 "key officials" killed in strike
Oct 20, 2024
Tel Aviv [Israel], October 20 : The Israeli military dealt a blow to Hezbollah, killing three "key" officials in a strike on the group's intelligence headquarters in Lebanon's southern Beirut, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
Israeli army said the targeted strike killed Elhag Abbas Salameh, Racha Abbas Icha, and Ahmed Ali Hasin, all key figures within Hezbollah's ranks.
The army further said that the operation also hit an underground weapons workshop in the Lebanese capital.
Meanwhile, Israel said that Hezbollah has been wreaking havoc on Israeli civilians, with the IDF reporting 378 days of relentless attacks.
Sharing a post on X, the IDF said, "For the past week, sirens have been sounding in northern Israel nonstop. For the past 378 days, Hezbollah has been terrorising Israeli civilians. This is why we are operating-- to restore security to our civilians."
Earlier in the day, an Israeli attack on Beit Lahiya in north Gaza killed as many as 73 people, while many more feared to be trapped under rubble, Al Jazeera reported, citing Gaza authorities.
The death toll is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue, Gaza's Government Media Office said.
The situation in northern Gaza remains dire due to a 16-day Israeli military siege that has severed access to essential services like food, water, and medicine in the north of the Gaza Strip.
However, the IDF expressed doubts over Hamas' claim of 73 deaths in the recent strikes in north Gaza, labelling the figure "exaggerated," the Times of Israel reported.
Oxfam, a non-governmental organisation, informed of an attack in the southern Gaza Strip, where four water engineers and workers en route to repair infrastructure were killed near Khan Younis.
The latest strikes come after a drone was launched towards Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's house. In response to that, Netanyahu warned Iran's "proxy" Hezbollah for the "grave mistake."
He said the "assassination" attempt will not deter him or Israel from "eliminating" the terrorists and "those who dispatch them."
In a social media post on X, Netanyahu wrote, "The attempt by Iran's proxy Hezbollah to assassinate me and my wife today was a grave mistake. This will not deter me or the State of Israel from continuing our just war against our enemies in order to secure our future."
Netanyahu further warned Iran, saying, "Anyone who tries to harm Israel's citizens will pay a heavy price."
He asserted that Israel will continue its operations against the terrorists and assured to bring back hostages from Gaza.
"We will continue to eliminate the terrorists and those who dispatch them. We will bring our hostages home from Gaza. And we will return our citizens who live on our northern border safely to their homes," Netanyahu wrote on X.
"Israel is determined to achieve all our war objectives and change the security reality in our region for generations to come," he added.