On October 10, Israel once again attacked the capital of Lebanon, Beirut. This time, one of the targets of the Israeli army could be the head of Hezbollahʼs communications unit Wafiq Safa. He survived, at the same time it is known about 22 dead and 107 wounded.
This was reported by Reuters with reference to its own sources.
This time, the Israeli army attacked a densely populated area of Beirut, which had not been attacked before. The area is far from the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Israel has repeatedly bombed Hezbollahʼs headquarters.
Wafiq Safa who heads Hezbollahʼs communications and coordination department and is responsible for working with the Lebanese security services, survived. Local media reported that Safa led negotiations in 2008 when Hezbollah and Israel agreed to exchange the bodies of Israeli soldiers captured in 2006 for Lebanese prisoners in Israel. The 2006 incident sparked a 34-day war with Israel.
At the same time, 22 dead and 107 wounded were reported. Among the dead was a family of eight, including three children, who had evacuated from southern Lebanon.
Reuters writes that Israel did not warn civilians in the area to evacuate ahead of Thursdayʼs strikes, which were "the deadliest attack on central Beirut since the start of hostilities." The Israeli military issued a new evacuation warning Thursday evening for the southern suburbs of Beirut, including some buildings. Earlier in the day, Israel urged Lebanese civilians not to return to their homes in the south to avoid damage from the fighting.
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon UNIFIL said two of its soldiers were wounded when an Israeli tank fired at a watchtower at the forceʼs main headquarters in Ras al-Nakur on Thursday. UNIFIL called the attacks on peacekeepers "a serious violation of international humanitarian law."
The Israeli military said its troops were operating in the Nakura area "near the UNIFIL base". And they noted that they opened fire in the area only after giving instructions to UN forces to remain in protected areas.
In New York, Israelʼs ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said Israel is recommending that UNIFIL be relocated 5 kilometers north "to avoid danger as fighting intensifies".
What preceded
The situation between Israel and Hezbollah escalated this September. Over the course of a month, Israel began striking Lebanon.
Israel eliminated the leader of "Hezbollah" Hassan Nasrallah. After that, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed that his country had already eliminated two of Nasrallahʼs successors, without naming them.
- Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia Muslim military-political organization founded in 1982. Hezbollah is actively supported by Iran, it is recognized as a terrorist in more than 20 countries, in particular in the USA, EU and Great Britain. Hezbollah has been against Israel since its inception.
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