The Israel-Lebanon conflict

Israeli revenge attack on targets in Beirut - IDF says top names in Hezbollah killed

Israel carried out an unusual attack on Lebanon's capital Beirut on Tuesday. The attack was aimed at Fuad Shukr, the top military commander of the Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah. This is stated by the Israeli military according to Reuters.

According to the IDF, Shukr was killed. He is described as leader Hassan Nasrallah's right-hand man and as number two in the terrorist group's overall pecking order. Among other things, he is said to have been responsible for Hezbollah's most advanced weapons, according to the IDF.

In the evening, Reuters published sources that Shukr survived the attack, but Lebanese and Saudi media have reached reports that he has been killed, just as the IDF states.

At the same time, Lebanon states that three civilians were killed and that at least 85 were injured in the powerful explosion. According to Lebanese media, the attack was carried out by drones. A large explosion was heard in the city and clouds of smoke rose into the sky.

The attack is a response to the deadly attack on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights this weekend, where twelve children and young people died. It allegedly took place in the southern suburbs of the capital, which, according to the Times of Israel, is a well-known Hezbollah stronghold.

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Expert: Israeli marking not aimed at escalation

Israel's revenge attack on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon's capital Beirut on Tuesday night is well-balanced and in line with expectations. Middle East expert Anders Persson makes that assessment in interviews with Aftonbladet, TT and TV4 Nyheterna.

Persson interprets the answer "as a marking that does not aim at further escalation". Initial information states that it is a limited attack against a military target, he says.

- The aim is to give Hezbollah a landing ramp, a chance to not have to escalate the conflict, he tells TT.

At the same time, the attack puts renewed pressure on the Lebanese terrorist group to respond, he tells TV4.

- So now the ball ends up in their half of the field.

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Sources: Israel had told the US about the Beirut attack

Israel told the United States of its plans to attack Hezbollah's stronghold in Lebanon's capital Beirut before Tuesday night's attack, a source told CNN. It is not clear when the message was brought forward.

Before Tuesday's blast, European news site Euractiv reported, citing sources, that the United States has urged Israel not to bomb Beirut.

Both Israel and the United States have indeed singled out the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah for the deadly attack on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. But according to the sources, the US tried to dissuade Israel from retaliating against the Lebanese capital, against the city's southern suburbs where many Hezbollah members are believed to be and against important infrastructure in Lebanon.

Several countries in Europe have also made diplomatic efforts to avoid escalation in the Middle East, reports Politico. Representatives of France, Germany, Italy and Great Britain have contacted various countries in the area to call for calm.