Israeli High Command has claimed they have killed a top commander in the militant organization Hezbollah along with several other key officials.
The Israeli High Command announced it killed a top Hezbollah commander linked to the group’s missile and rocket unit during an airstrike in Beirut on Tuesday.
According to the Israeli military, the airstrike killed Ibrahim Kobeisi, who was allegedly responsible for several attacks on Israeli forces. Officials reported that Kobeisi and other key Hezbollah commanders were gathered at the site during the strike, though no official number of casualties has been provided.
The two groups clashed once again on Tuesday with the death toll climbing to almost 560 people.
Israeli High Command has claimed that they have killed a top Hezbollah commander with one of the group’s missile launcher (
AFP via Getty Images)
The back-and-forth conflict has thousands of people fleeing southern Lebanon as the two sides inch closer to total warfare. Those who have fled the increased fighting have taken refuge in shelters that have been set up in schools in Beirut and Lebanon’s coastal city of Sidon. Hotels in the area have been quickly booked to capacity or have a price tag much higher than the means of many families. The result is that many people are now sleeping in cars, parks or the seaside.
Issa Baydoun, who along with their family fled the village of Shihine after it was bombed, said that his family journeyed to Beirut only to find that all the shelters were full. “We struggled a lot on the road just to get here,” he said.
The ongoing conflict has driven many families from their homes as the violence continues to escalate (
AP)
“We evacuated our homes because Israel is targeting civilians and attacking them,” he added. “That’s why we left our homes, to protect our children.” The growing fear of all-out conflict comes a little more than a week after thousands of pagers laced with explosives went off across the besieged country injuring thousands.
Since the attack, Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, declared that a “new phase” of the war has begun. “We are at the start of a new phase in the war – it requires courage, determination and perseverance,” he said to his troops. During the speech, Gallant praised the work of his troops and the country’s security agencies.
Several families have found themselves living out of cars as many hotels have been booked or have become too expensive (
AP)
During his speech, Gallant reportedly made no mention of the bombs but said that “the results are very impressive.” According to the official, “the center of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces.” Gallant’s declaration was issued around the same time as Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said that attacks were a “declaration of war.”
“Yes, we were subjected to a huge and severe blow,” Nasrallah said. “The enemy crossed all boundaries and red lines.”
Many innocent people have also been caught in the crossfire between the two groups (
AP)
