Israel says it struck Hezbollah’s headquarters as huge explosions rocked Beirut
BEIRUT — The Israeli military said Friday it carried out an airstrike on the central headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut, where a massive explosion leveled buildings in a southern district, sending clouds of orange and black smoke billowing in the skies.
The strike in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the U.N., vowing that Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah would continue. Not long before the explosion, thousands were massed in the suburb for the funeral of three Hezbollah members, including a senior commander, killed in earlier strikes.
There was no immediate word on casualties in the strike. The Israeli army spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said it targeted the main Hezbollah headquarters, located beneath residential buildings. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said four buildings were reduced to rubble in the blast, so powerful it rattled windows and shook houses some 30 kilometers north of Beirut. Ambulances were seen headed to the scene of the explosions, sirens wailing.
Earlier in the day, an Israeli airstrike killed a family of nine in a Lebanese border village, authorities said, as Lebanon struggled to deal with a rising death toll, a wave of tens of thousands fleeing their homes and the possibility of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israel dramatically intensified its airstrikes in Lebanon this week, saying it is determined to put an end to more than 11 months of Hezbollah fire into its territory. The scope of Israel’s operation remains unclear, but officials have said a ground invasion to push the militant group away from the border is a possibility. Israel has moved thousands of troops toward the border in preparation.
At the U.N., Netanyahu vowed to “continue degrading Hezbollah” until Israel achieves its goals, further dimming hopes for an internationally backed cease-fire.
That has Lebanese fearing a repeat of the last Israel-Hezbollah war, in 2006, which lasted a month and caused heavy destruction over parts of their country. Or worse, they fear, Lebanon could suffer devastation on the scale caused in Gaza by Israel’s nearly yearlong campaign against Hamas.
At least 25 people were killed in Israeli strikes early Friday, Health Minister Firass Abiad said, bringing the death toll in Lebanon this week to more than 720. He said the dead included dozens of women and children.
The Israeli military said it carried out dozens of strikes over the course of two hours around the south on Friday, including in the cities of Sidon and Nabatiyeh. It said it was targeting Hezbollah rocket launchers and infrastructure. It said Hezbollah fired a volley of rockets toward the northern Israeli city of Tiberias.
Trump campaign hack traced to three Iranians seeking to disrupt election, DOJ says
The Justice Department unveiled criminal charges against three Iranian hackers who allegedly compromised Trump campaign accounts and sought to erode confidence in the U.S. election.
A meteorologist in Atlanta rescued a woman from Helene floodwaters on camera
FOX Weather meteorologist Bob Van Dillen was broadcasting from Atlanta early this morning when he heard a woman crying for help in the dark.
Curbside composting ‘doesn’t work’ for many Brookline residents. A new program aims to help
Brookline's new food waste drop-off pilot program let residents drop off food scraps at four different bin locations — free of charge.
Abnormally warm water helped Helene rapidly intensify and suck up moisture
Helene is dumping rain across the Southeast, after coming ashore as a powerful Category 4 storm. Abnormally warm water in the Gulf of Mexico helped it rapidly intensify and suck up moisture.
The Coast Guard save a man and his dog from a sinking boat off the coast of Florida
Before Helene even made landfall in Florida, authorities conducted a dramatic rescue operation: The U.S. Coast Guard saved a man whose sailboat started taking on water off the coast of Sanibel Island.
Dockworkers are on the verge of a strike. Here’s what you need to know
Some 25,000 dockworkers at East and Gulf Coast ports may strike as early as October 1 if their union doesn't reach a contract deal with shipping companies and port operators.
