The Israeli Army carried out an airstrike this Sunday against what it has described as a "command center" of the Shiite party-militia Hezbollah in southern Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. The offensive comes in retaliation for the launch of projectiles against Israeli territory and coincides with an extremely delicate phase of negotiations between the United States and Iran, the main supporter of the Lebanese group, which had already warned that any offensive in this area would be intolerable.
According to the latest count released by the official Lebanese agency NNA, the bombing left three dead and 15 injured after the impact of at least four missiles against an apartment building in the Dahiya neighborhood, in the Ghobeiri area. The agency reported "significant damage to nearby buildings and businesses" as a result of the explosion.
Among the deceased would be a prominent Hezbollah commander, Ali Moussa Dakdouk, according to the message published on X by the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yachiel Letier, who defined him as a key player in the group's military operations in the south of the country. Hezbollah, for the moment, has not officially confirmed his death.
Leiter pointed out that Dakdouk was involved in an attack against US troops in Iraq in 2007, that he had been imprisoned by the United States, and that this country offered a reward of 5 million dollars for his capture. He also assured that the command supervised Hezbollah's "Golan Portfolio," a set of plans for an alleged incursion into northern Israel.
Command center hit in Dahiya
"The Israel Defense Forces have launched a precision strike against a command center of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in Dahiya, Beirut," the Army communicated on social media, along with a video showing the impact.
In the same message, the Army added that "the attacked command center was used by Hezbollah terrorists to promote terrorist plots against the citizens of the State of Israel and the IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon," and recalled that hours earlier "the terrorist organization Hezbollah launched airstrikes against the territory of the State of Israel."
Israeli forces had reported in the morning the fall of up to three projectiles into their territory, in a new exchange of fire with Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon. Later, they also reported the incursion of "hostile aerial devices" in the towns of Hanita and Adamit.
In response, Israel has ordered the evacuation of almost thirty towns and has launched a bombing campaign that has hit nearly a dozen towns, causing the death of three people and leaving several injured, according to the NNA agency.
Iran has unequivocally conditioned the signing of any pact with Washington on the immediate cessation of Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Within this context, Dahiya is considered a particularly sensitive target: it is a densely populated urban area and, moreover, the main center of strategic operations for Hezbollah, a key ally of Tehran and practically its political and military extension in the country.
The bombing of Dahiya takes place after the two most radical members of the Israeli cabinet, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, pressured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to intensify attacks against Hezbollah and even extend them to the Beirut neighborhood.
Immediate reaction from Iran
The head of the Iranian negotiating team and Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has threatened to break off ongoing talks with the United States following the bombing, while the Iranian Army has warned that the offensive "will not go unanswered."
For Ghalibaf, the Israeli action demonstrates that either Washington is not telling the truth, or it is incapable of restraining its ally. "The attack by the Zionists shows once again that the United States either does not have the will to fulfill its commitments or does not have the capacity to do so," he stated in a message disseminated on social media.
The Iranian negotiator added that "by giving the green light to the regime (Israel), it is impossible for them to obtain concessions. The 'good cop' and 'bad cop' game is outdated. If they do not have the will or the capacity to fulfill their commitments, it is not possible to continue on this path."