Israel launches fresh Lebanon strikes after killing Hizbollah leader

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Israel launched dozens of fresh strikes in Lebanon on Sunday and vowed to keep up its offensive against Hizbollah after assassinating the militant group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.

People in Lebanon were braced for more attacks as the Israeli army issued fresh evacuation orders to civilians, including residents of south Beirut, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that despite killing the influential Hizbollah leader, Israel’s “work has still not been completed”.

Netanyahu said Israel would continue its fight against the Iran-backed militant group until it had succeeded in “changing the balance of power” in the Middle East and until about 60,000 residents of northern Israel, displaced by a year of cross-border fire, were able to return to their homes.

Israel’s military continued to target Hizbollah leaders, after killing Nasrallah in a massive strike on Friday in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh that the country’s defence minister hailed as “one of the most important assassinations in the history of the State of Israel”.

On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said they had killed Nabil Qaouk, a member of Hizbollah’s central council, who was sanctioned by the US in 2020 for his key role in the organisation.

Qaouk was believed to be in the running to replace Nasrallah after his death. The IDF said Qaouk was killed on Saturday, but did not say where. It said Qaouk was “directly involved in terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and its citizens, even in recent days”, adding that Israel would continue to target the top echelons of Hizbollah.

Israel’s intense week-long bombing campaign has killed more than 1,000 people across Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry. It has been some of the deadliest days for the country since Israel fought a 34-day war with Hizbollah in Lebanon in 2006.

At least four paramedics were killed on Sunday. The bombing levelled more homes in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley and southern provinces. Six bodies were pulled from beneath the rubble of a home in the village of al-Ain, Lebanese state news reported.

Since the large-scale Israeli air strikes began on Monday, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians have been displaced, many fleeing to the already densely populated capital, sleeping in schools, on beaches and in the streets.

On Saturday, the IDF claimed to have killed Hassan Khalil Yassin, describing him as a top member of Hizbollah’s intelligence department responsible for selecting targets in Israel.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati declared three days of official mourning following Nasrallah’s death. He said all public and private institutions would stop work on the day of Nasrallah’s funeral.

After Nasrallah’s death, US President Joe Biden said “the United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hizbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups”, but added that Washington hoped to de-escalate the conflict “through diplomatic means”.

Israel has raised the prospect of a ground offensive into southern Lebanon, where Hizbollah has a network of weapons stores and bases.

Late on Saturday, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant issued a statement saying he was making “an operational situation assessment regarding the expansion of IDF activities in the northern arena”, where Israel has previously mobilised at least two brigades. He did not say what that expansion could entail.

Hizbollah and other members of the so-called axis of resistance, led by Iran, continued to fire on Israel overnight. Most rockets were intercepted or landed in open areas.

Sirens sounded across northern Israel as dozens of rockets were fired from Lebanon, and were also triggered in central Israel. A rocket landed in an open area near the Israeli settlement of Mitzpe Hagit in the occupied West Bank, starting a fire.

The IDF said an Israeli warship intercepted a drone approaching Israel from the Red Sea on Saturday, triggering alarms in the southern resort and port city of Eilat. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attempted attack.