Beirut: In a major development, Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Qubaisi was killed in Beirut on Tuesday in a fresh Israeli attack on the southern Lebanon region, news agency Reuters reported citing its sources. The sources identified the commander who was killed as Ibrahim Qubaisi. The attack, in which six people were killed, dealt another blow to the Iran-backed group which has faced a series of setbacks at the hands of Israel over the past week.
The relentless pressure on Hezbollah has increased fears that nearly a year of conflict will explode into another all-out war and destabilise the Middle East, where a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah's ally Hamas is already raging in Gaza.
Israel struck the Hezbollah-controlled area of the Lebanese capital for a second consecutive day after mounting a new wave of airstrikes on targets in Lebanon,
After nearly 12 months of war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza on its southern border, Israel is shifting its focus to the northern frontier, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, which is also backed by Iran. The health ministry gave an initial toll of six dead and 15 wounded in the Beirut strike.
Israel rages war against Hezbollah
The Israeli military carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah on Monday which Lebanese authorities said killed more than 500 people. The airstrike hit a building in the usually busy Ghobeiry neighbourhood in Beirut. One of the security sources shared a photo showing damage to the top floor of a five-storey building. Israel's military chief said earlier that attacks on Hezbollah would be accelerated.
"The situation requires continued, intense action in all arenas," said Military Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi after holding a security assessment. Lebanese authorities said 558 people had been killed, including 50 children and 94 women, in Israel's airstrikes on Monday. A further 1,835 were wounded, they said, and tens of thousands more have fled for safety.
The casualty tolls and the charge from the most powerful and advanced military in the Middle East have spread panic in Lebanon, which suffered from devastating destruction when Israel and Hezbollah fought in 2006.
(With inputs from agency)
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