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Israeli army spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said it targeted the main Hezbollah headquarters, located beneath residential buildings. Attacks on Hezbollah targets by fighter jets continued into the early hours Saturday after the army said it told residents to evacuate three buildings it was targeting.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly cut short a visit to the United States and was returning home instead of waiting until the end of Sabbath on Saturday evening, his office said. Hours earlier, Netanyahu addressed the United Nations, vowing that Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah would continue – further dimming hopes for an internationally backed cease-fire.
More than 720 people have been killed in Lebanon this week, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Israel has dramatically escalated strikes, saying it is targeting Hezbollah’s military capacities and senior Hezbollah commanders.
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The International Organization for Migration estimated Thursday that more than 200,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon since Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas after it stormed into Israel, sparking the Israel-Hamas war.
Israel says it killed a Hezbollah missile unit commander and his deputy
JERUSALEM – Israel’s military said it killed a Hezbollah missile unit commander and his deputy during a strike in southern Lebanon earlier in the week.
Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that its air forces killed Muhammad Ali Ismail, who it said was responsible for directing “numerous terror attacks” against Israel, including the firing of rockets towards Israeli territory.
The Tuesday strike also killed the commander’s deputy, Hussein Ahmad Ismail, it said.
There was no immediate confirmation from Hezbollah.
Moody’s lowers Israel’s credit rating due to economic risks from conflict
NEW YORK – Moody’s lowered its credit rating on Israel on Friday, warning that the country’s deepening conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon pose increased risks for its economy.
The downgrade to Baa1 could make it more expensive for Israel to borrow on international markets because lenders could demand higher interest rates on loans to compensate for the greater risk.
“The key driver for the downgrade is our view that geopolitical risk has intensified significantly further, to very high levels, with material negative consequences for Israel’s creditworthiness in both the near and longer term,” Moody’s wrote. Moody’s last dropped its rating on Israel’s debt in February, from A1 to A2. Israel’s new rating remains investment grade at three notches above what’s considered “junk” status on Moody’s scale.
Series of airstrikes hit several locations in Beirut’s southern suburbs
BEIRUT – A series of airstrikes have hit several locations in the southern suburbs of Beirut, causing several smaller explosions and rings of smoke intersecting over the skies of the Lebanese capital.
Fire raged from at least one location, and smoke and flames were seen from above Beirut early Saturday. Residents reported jets flying overhead.
Following a massive air raid that levelled several buildings in the southern suburb of Beirut, which Israel said targeted the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, there were nearly a dozen other strikes in the same neighborhood, some just an hour after an Israeli warning for residents to evacuate. Hundreds of Lebanese fled the area.
Israel fighter jets strike dozens of Hezbollah launchers aimed toward Israeli civilians, as air raid sirens go off in northern Israel
JERUSALEM – Israel’s army said in a statement that its fighter jets struck dozens of Hezbollah launchers that were aimed toward Israeli civilians over the past hour. The army said it continues to strike Hezbollah targets and buildings in which weapons were stored in several areas in southern Lebanon.
Israel reports more air raid sirens in northern Israel, including in Safed. Israeli officials said a 68-year-old woman suffered mild shrapnel wounds from the rocket strike earlier in Safed.
Canada global affairs blocks seats on few remaining commercial flights leaving Lebanon, urging Canadians to leave immediately
OTTAWA, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada began booking blocks of seats on the few remaining commercial flights leaving Lebanon on Friday as it issued another urgent plea for any Canadians in the country to leave immediately.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada has secured seats for Canadians on the limited commercial flights available. Passengers will pay for the flights themselves, but Joly says loans are available for those who need financial assistance.
Joly and Defense Minister Bill Blair have been asking Canadians in Lebanon to leave for months as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalates. Joly says it’s believed about 45,000 Canadians were in Lebanon, even though only about half that number have registered officially with the embassy in Beirut.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry raises death toll from airstrike targeting Hezbollah in Beirut
BEIRUT – Lebanon’s Health Ministry said six were killed and 91 wounded in several Israeli strikes that struck Friday.
The toll is likely to rise significantly as teams are still combing through the rubble of six buildings. (AP)