Israel has unleashed a series of huge strikes on Beirut, with its military saying it struck the central headquarters of the militant group Hezbollah.

The attack shook windows across the Lebanese capital and sent thick clouds of smoke billowing into the air.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was the intended target of the strike and a senior Israeli official said it was too early to say whether the attack was successful.

“I think it’s too early to say, but, you know, it’s a question of time. Sometimes they hide the fact when we succeed,”
the official said when asked if the Israeli strike on Friday had killed Nasrallah.

Asked how long it might take to determine the fate of Nasrallah, the senior Israeli official said: “Certainly if he’s
alive, you’ll know it very immediately. If he’s dead, it may take some time.”

A source close to Hezbollah told Reuters Nasrallah is still alive, and Iran’s Tasnim news agency also reported he was safe.

Israel-Hezbollah latest: Explosions in Beirut as Israel ‘targets head of Hezbollah’ in huge airstrike

Lebanon’s health ministry said at least two were killed and 76 wounded in the strikes. It said the figures were preliminary.

The Israeli military claimed it had carried out a “precise strike” on Hezbollah’s headquarters which it said were “embedded under residential buildings in the heart of the Dahieh in Beirut”.

It was the strongest strike carried out by Israel in Beirut during its nearly year-long conflict with Hezbollah, which began when the Iran-backed group began firing rockets into Israel almost immediately after Hamas attacked from Gaza on 7 October.

Israel has struck the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, known as Dahieh, four times over the last week – killing at least three senior Hezbollah commanders.

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the central command centre was embedded deep within civilian areas.

Four buildings in Dahieh were reduced to rubble, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV reported.

Iran’s embassy in Beirut described the strikes as a “dangerous, game-changing escalation”, calling them a “crime” that merits “appropriate punishment”.

The strikes came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep up Israel’s attacks on Iranian-backed fighters in Lebanon during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

“As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice, and Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their homes safely,” he said.

“Israel has been tolerating this intolerable situation for nearly a year. Well, I’ve come here today to say enough is enough.”

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has dramatically escalated this week, with Israeli airstrikes killing more than 700 people in Lebanon, raising fears of an all-out war between the two sides.

Tens of thousands have been forced to flee their homes on both sides of the border.

Benjamin Netanyahu loves the platform of the United Nations but the UN doesn’t love him.

As he entered, hundreds of diplomats left. He delivered his speech to a chamber more than half empty.

Mr Netanyahu claimed he was not initially going to attend, but was compelled to by the “lies and slanders” he heard from other leaders.

He used the moment to remind the world of 7 October and the ongoing fate of hostages being held inside Gaza.

He justified Israel’s war, claiming without evidence that it is the most moral campaign in history. Israel critics, of which there are many, accuse the country of genocide.

Israel-Hezbollah latest: Follow live updates here

He pointed the finger at the “goons” in Iran as he has done year after year and described the Iranian axis across Iraq, Syria and Lebanon as a curse.

He lambasted the International Criminal Court for seeking arrest warrants against him and defence minister Yoav Gallant.

He invoked biblical references to advocate modern-day peace but insisted his country must keep fighting multiple wars; there was not even a passing glance to the US-French proposal for a truce in Lebanon.

Mr Netanyahu again dedicated time to speak about the prospect of normalisation with Saudi Arabia, something he is desperate for, but the Kingdom’s Crown Prince isn’t.

Riyadh won’t make peace with Israel without a path to an independent Palestinian state, and that is something Mr Netanyahu isn’t willing to give.

Mr Netanyahu does these moments well. He is a master of the media and revels in the moment.

In the end though, we heard nothing new.

It was passionate and it was angry. It had maps as props and a crowd flown in to cheer along.

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But there was no explanation for how the war in Gaza will end, no plan for the ‘day after’ and no idea for “deradicalisation”.

He said Israel must “defeat” Hezbollah but gave no hint of a timeline and no clue what might come next.

It was a speech that will go down well with many here in Israel, their leader defending their country on the world stage.

But Israelis are weary after 12 months of war and many will come away wondering how many more months of conflict lie ahead.

After a week of airstrikes in the neighbourhood of Dahieh, the shock of an explosion is rarely followed by surprise. 

When we arrived in this densely populated part of southern Beirut, the street was filled with glass and rubble and weary-looking faces. This is the fourth time in a week that this area has been hit.

Behind a cordon, we could see a damaged apartment block just down the street. Below, a popular juice shop called “Tasty Bees” had survived unscathed.

Israel-Hezbollah latest: Follow live updates here

A detachment of Lebanese troops stood guard at the scene, but we knew they were not in charge in this part of the city.

Dahieh is run by the political and military group Hezbollah and we were invited by their security personnel to take a closer look at the site.

The fourth floor was badly damaged by a series of precision-guided missiles.

The outer walls of various apartments had been removed, revealing mattresses, curtains and colourful chandeliers.

The Israeli military claims to have killed a Hezbollah commander called Mohammed Surur in the strike.

The country’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said that he had authorised it and described Surur as the leader of the Iran-backed group’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone division.

Surur’s death has not been confirmed by Hezbollah – but it certainly has not intimidated some of the group’s supporters.

“I’d die for Hezbollah,” shouted one man and he brushed the rubble off the top of his battered-looking car.

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Our tour came as the international community launched an urgent attempt for a temporary truce in a conflict that has killed more than 1,500 this year. But prospects for a ceasefire were quickly blown away by the blast.

At least two have died, with 15 injured in this attack.

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The mayor of the local suburb Atef Mansour gave voice to the feeling shared by many here.

“What happened is an ongoing crime committed by the Israeli enemy, and we witness this scene every day, day after day in a densely populated neighbourhood.”

Yet Hezbollah has continued its military operations, sending 45 rockets into northern Israel. Such attacks invite an inevitable response.

As far as our minders in Dahieh were concerned, the purpose of our visit was clear – to communicate the impact on civilians of such strikes.

Yet we all know the next assault will come soon.