Israel went after Hezbollah's leader in a powerful strike on its headquarters. His fate is still unknown.
- Israel said Friday that it carried out a strike against Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut.
- The strike reportedly targeted the military group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
The Israeli military announced that it conducted a "precise strike" in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Friday that targeted the central headquarters of the Hezbollah militant group.
The massive airstrikes, which obliterated several high-rise buildings and caused dozens of casualties, targeted Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's longtime leader of more than three decades, per multiple reports, citing both Israeli and US officials. The strike raises questions about his fate.
It is unclear whether Nasrallah was at the site, but a former senior Israeli official told CNN that Israel had "very high degree of certainty" he was there given the power of the attack.
If he was, it's unclear if he survived. Some Israeli media reports have reported growing confidence among officials that he was killed. A source close to Hezbollah told Reuters that senior leadership for the militant group has been unreachable.
If Nasrallah was eliminated in the strike, it would mark a major blow to the Iran-backed group. Israel has increasingly targeted top Hezbollah officials and operatives over the past week, but killing its leadership would be a significant and dramatic escalation.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israeli military, said that the headquarters struck Friday was located underneath residential buildings in Dahieh, a Beirut suburb. He called the facility "the epicenter of Hezbollah's terror."
Video footage of the strikes showed the explosions and smoke pouring out of a residential area. Photos of the aftermath revealed tremendous destruction, with multiple buildings completely reduced to rubble. Local authorities said at least two people are dead and dozens more injured. Those figures are likely to rise.
A Pentagon spokesperson said that the US was not given advanced warning before the strikes. However, she said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart as the operation was underway.
Israel has not publicly acknowledged that it specifically targeted Nasrallah, nor has it commented on his status.
Hours after the earlier strikes against Hezbollah's headquarters, the Israeli military said that it was carrying out additional strikes on Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in Beirut.
"Over the past hour, IAF fighter jets struck dozens of Hezbollah launchers aimed toward Israeli civilians, as well as buildings in which weapons were stored in several areas in southern Lebanon," the Israeli military said shortly after 1 a.m. local time.
Israel and Hezbollah have traded cross-border strikes on a near-daily basis for the past year, but fighting between the two bitter enemies has escalated sharply over the past week after Israel's widespread pager and walkie-talkie attacks.
Israeli forces appear to be gearing up for a potential ground invasion of Lebanon, leading to fears that it could wind up in an all-out war against Hezbollah. US officials have expressed concern over a larger confrontation between the two.