BEIRUT — Israel stated Tuesday that one among its airstrikes outdoors Beirut earlier this month killed a Hezbollah official broadly anticipated to interchange the militant group’s longtime chief, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike final month.
There was no rapid affirmation from Hezbollah in regards to the destiny of Hashem Safieddine, a robust cleric who was anticipated to succeed Hassan Nasrallah, one of many group’s founders.
Safieddine was killed in early October in a strike that additionally killed 25 different Hezbollah leaders, based on Israel, whose airstrikes in southern Lebanon in current months have killed a lot of Hezbollah’s prime leaders, leaving the group in disarray.
Final week, Israel killed the highest chief of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, throughout a battle in Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated Tuesday throughout a visit to Israel that leaders there ought to “capitalize” on Sinwar’s dying as a possibility to finish the conflict in Gaza and safe the discharge of hostages taken as a part of the lethal Hamas assault that began the conflict. Blinken additionally harassed the necessity for Israel to do extra to assist improve the movement of humanitarian assist to Palestinians.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace known as his assembly with Blinken, which lasted greater than two hours, “pleasant and productive.”
The Beirut suburb the place Safieddine was killed was pummeled by a sequence of recent airstrikes on Tuesday, together with one which leveled a constructing Israel stated housed Hezbollah services. The collapse despatched smoke and particles flying into the air a number of hundred meters (yards) from the place a spokesperson for Hezbollah had simply briefed journalists a couple of weekend drone assault that broken Netanyahu’s home.
Tuesday’s airstrikes got here 40 minutes after Israel issued an evacuation warning for 2 buildings within the space that it stated had been utilized by Hezbollah. The Hezbollah press convention close by was reduce quick, and an Related Press photographer captured a picture of a missile heading in direction of the constructing moments earlier than it was destroyed. There have been no rapid studies of casualties.
Hezbollah’s chief spokesman, Mohammed Afif, stated the group was behind the Saturday drone assault on Netanyahu’s residence within the coastal city of Caesarea. Israel has stated neither the prime minister nor his spouse had been residence on the time of the assault.
Blinken’s conferences with Netanyahu and different Israeli leaders was a part of his eleventh go to to the area for the reason that outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict. He landed hours after Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into central Israel, setting off air raid sirens in populated areas and at its worldwide airport, however inflicting no obvious injury or accidents.
An Israeli airstrike late Monday in Beirut destroyed a number of buildings throughout the road from the nation’s largest public hospital, killing 18 folks and wounding at the least 60 others. The Israeli navy stated it struck a Hezbollah goal, with out elaborating, and stated that it hadn’t focused the hospital itself.
AP reporters visited the Rafik Hariri College Hospital on Tuesday. They noticed damaged home windows within the hospital’s pharmacy and dialysis middle, which was filled with sufferers on the time.
Workers at one other Beirut hospital feared it could be focused after Israel alleged that Hezbollah had stashed lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in money and gold in its basement, with out offering proof.
The director of the Sahel Normal Hospital denied the allegations and invited journalists to go to the hospital and its two underground flooring on Tuesday. AP reporters noticed no signal of militants or something out of the bizarre.
The few remaining sufferers had been evacuated after the Israeli navy’s announcement the evening earlier than.
“We have now been dwelling in terror for the final 24 hours,” hospital director Mazen Alame stated. “There may be nothing beneath the hospital.”
Many in Lebanon concern Israel may goal its hospitals in the identical means it has raided medical services throughout Gaza. The Israeli navy has accused Hamas and different militants of utilizing hospitals for navy functions, allegations denied by medical employees.
Lebanon’s Well being Ministry stated Tuesday that 63 folks have been killed over the previous 24 hours, elevating the dying toll over the previous yr of battle between Israel and Hezbollah to 2,546. Three Israeli troopers had been killed on Tuesday, one in Gaza, one in Lebanon, and one in a rocket assault in northern Israel, based on the navy.
Throughout his assembly with Netanyahu and different Israeli leaders, Blinken underscored the necessity for a dramatic improve within the quantity of humanitarian assist reaching Gaza, based on U.S. State Division spokesman Matthew Miller. The necessity for extra assist in Gaza is one thing Blinken and U.S. Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin made clear in a letter to Israeli officers final week.
Miller stated Blinken additionally harassed the significance of ending the combating between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated earlier this month when Israel launched a floor invasion of southern Lebanon.
America, Egypt and Qatar have brokered months of talks between Israel and Hamas, attempting to strike a deal through which the militants would launch dozens of hostages in return for an finish to the conflict, a long-lasting cease-fire and the discharge of Palestinian prisoners.
However each Israel and Hamas accused one another of constructing new and unacceptable calls for over the summer time, and the talks floor to a halt in August. Hamas says its calls for have not modified following the killing of Sinwar.
Israel stated it launched its floor invasion of Lebanon to attempt to cease close to day by day rocket assaults from Hezbollah for the reason that begin of the conflict in Gaza. Israel has stated it plans to strike Iran — which backs each Hamas and Hezbollah — in response to its ballistic missile assault on Israel earlier this month.
The U.S. has additionally tried to dealer a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, however these efforts fell aside as tensions spiked final month with a sequence of Israeli strikes that killed Nasrallah and most of his senior commanders.
Israel has carried out waves of heavy airstrikes throughout southern Beirut and the nation’s south and east, areas the place Hezbollah has a robust presence. Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets, missiles and drones into Israel over the previous yr, together with some which have reached the nation’s populous middle.
Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants killed round 1,200 folks in Israel, principally civilians, and took one other 250 hostage. Round 100 of the captives are nonetheless held in Gaza, a 3rd of whom are believed to be lifeless.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed greater than 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded tens of hundreds, based on native well being authorities, who do not say what number of had been combatants however say greater than half had been girls and kids. It has additionally brought on main devastation throughout the territory and displaced round 90% of its inhabitants of two.3 million.
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Sarah El Deeb reported from Beirut. Kareem Chehayeb, Sally Abou AlJoud and Bassem Mroue contributed from Beirut and Melanie Lidman contributed from Tel Aviv.
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Observe AP’s conflict protection at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
