United Nations, Sep 28 (IANS): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will cut short his visit to New York and return to Israel on Friday, his office said, following a major airstrike on Hezbollah's headquarters in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
The announcement came after Netanyahu addressed the United Nations in New York, where he was supposed to stay until Saturday night, after the Jewish sabbath.
The strike marked the most intense bombardment on Beirut in the past year, levelling six buildings and sending massive clouds of orange and black smoke over the city.
The Israeli military described the operation as a "precise strike," targeting Hezbollah's central headquarters, located beneath residential buildings in the densely populated southern suburb of Haret Hreik.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesperson, said in a televised statement, "We have targeted the main Hezbollah command centre in Beirut, located deep within civilian areas."
The US Pentagon confirmed that it had not received prior warning about the strike. A Pentagon spokesperson said that US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart as the operation was underway. The US is actively involved in diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating the conflict, which has escalated in recent weeks.
While the full scale of casualties remains unclear, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that the Lebanese Red Cross deployed 10 teams to the scene of the strike. Sahel Hospital, located near the site, confirmed that it had received 10 wounded, three of them critically injured, including a Syrian child. Local media showed emergency workers sifting through the rubble in search of survivors, with flashlights illuminating the destruction as night fell over the city.
Plumes of smoke were visible for miles, and local TV footage showed the aftermath—entire buildings reduced to rubble, with emergency personnel struggling to extinguish fires amid the debris. The force of the explosion was so powerful that it rattled windows and shook homes as far as 30 km away from the impact site.
Just before the strikes, thousands had gathered in a nearby suburb for the funeral of three Hezbollah members, including a senior commander, who were killed in earlier Israeli strikes. Following the latest bombardment, residents of the area were seen hastily gathering their belongings and fleeing toward Beirut's airport.
Friday's attack came as Netanyahu vowed to continue Israel's military campaign against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, casting doubt on US-led efforts to broker a ceasefire. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defence, stating, "As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice, and Israel has every right to remove this threat."
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has seen an escalation in recent days, with Israel launching a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon since Monday. Lebanese officials report that more than 700 people have been killed in the bombardment, including at least 50 children. Tens of thousands have fled their homes in Lebanon's southern and northeastern regions.
The strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs occurred as the US continues to push for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.
Washington has proposed a three-week ceasefire, supported by the European Union and several Arab nations.
However, Netanyahu's recent comments signal that Israel is intent on continuing its campaign against Hezbollah and its ally Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.