Israel conducts retaliatory airstrikes on Beirut... Fears of full-scale war escalate

Retaliatory Bombing of Golan Heights Soccer Field... 1 Dead

On the afternoon of the 30th (local time), the Israeli military carried out retaliatory airstrikes on Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. This was in response to the bombing of a football stadium in the Golan Heights on the 27th, raising concerns that the conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based pro-Iranian Islamic militant group Hezbollah could escalate into a full-scale war.

The Israeli military targeted Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah's top commander, and announced that he was killed in the airstrike. Shukr was reportedly the mastermind behind the bombing of the Golan Heights football stadium on the 27th and served as the chief advisor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. However, major foreign media outlets, citing sources, reported that Shukr's status remains uncertain.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported that one person was killed and 68 were injured in the airstrike.

Local media reported that the airstrike was carried out using a drone that launched three rockets. Witnesses described loud explosions followed by rising smoke. The building near the targeted hospital was hit, causing half of it to collapse, and nearby buildings were severely damaged. The hospital also sustained some damage.

Yoav Gallant, Israel's Defense Minister, stated on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) immediately after news of the Beirut airstrike broke, "Hezbollah has crossed the red line."

For the past ten months, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged attacks almost daily but maintained a low-level conflict that did not escalate into full-scale war. However, the atmosphere changed after a football stadium in Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, was bombed on the 27th, killing 12 children in a tragic incident.

There are concerns that this airstrike could escalate the military conflict between Israel and Hezbollah to the level of full-scale war.

CNN reported, "The months-long attacks between Israel and Hezbollah have mostly been confined to areas near the border," adding, "The Golan Heights airstrike, which killed 12 people, has changed the situation."

Bloomberg News, citing a senior Israeli government official, reported that no further military actions are expected.