BEIRUT, SEPTEMBER 29
Smoke rose from Beirut's southern suburbs Saturday after the area was pummeled by heavy airstrikes that Israel said killed multiple Hezbollah commanders, including leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The Lebanese militant group confirmed the death of its longtime leader, whose killing could dramatically reshape conflicts across the Middle East.
Attacks on Hezbollah targets by fighter jets continued Saturday after the army said it told residents to evacuate three buildings it was targeting, as Israel braced for Hezbollah's response.
Hours before the strikes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations, vowing that Israel's campaign against Hezbollah would continue - further dimming hopes for an internationally backed cease-fire. Netanyahu abruptly cut his United States visit short and returned to Israel.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon since the conflict escalated less than two weeks ago, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.
The United Nations says the number of those displaced by the conflict from southern Lebanon has more than doubled and now stands at more than 211,000. At least 20 primary healthcare centers have shut down in hard-hit areas of Lebanon, the U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas after it stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, sparking the Israel-Hamas war. Top Israeli officials have threatened to repeat the destruction of Gaza in Lebanon if the Hezbollah fire continues, raising fears of further displacement.
