Israel targets Hezbollah command near Beirut as Lebanon death toll tops 700

The Israeli military struck Hezbollah's central command in the southern Beirut suburbs on Friday, with Israeli TV reporting that Hamas chief Hassan Nasrallah was the focus of the strikes. The latest bombardment came as the death toll from Israeli strikes inside Lebanon surpassed 700 since Monday, according to the health minister.

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.

At the U.N., Netanyahu vowed to “continue degrading Hezbollah” until Israel achieves its goals, further dimming hopes for an internationally backed cease-fire.

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