An Israel airstrike on Beirut killed a senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Qubaisi on Tuesday as cross-border rocket attacks by both sides increased fears of a full-fledged war in the Middle East.
Israel’s military said the airstrike on the Lebanese capital killed Ibrahim Qubaisi, who it said was the commander of Hezbollah’s missiles and rocket force. Two security sources in Lebanon described him as a leading figure in the Iran-backed group’s rocket division.
The attack dealt another blow to Hezbollah after a series of setbacks at the hands of Israel over the past week, and Israel later said it was carrying out “extensive strikes” on Hezbollah targets.
The pressure on Hezbollah has increased fears that nearly a year of conflict will explode and destabilise the oil-producing Middle East, where a war between Hamas and Israel is already raging in Gaza.
Israel is shifting its focus from Gaza to the northern frontier, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, which is also backed by Iran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue to pound Hezbollah targets and urged Lebanese citizens to escape the grip of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
“Anyone who has a missile in their living room and a rocket in their garage will not have a home,” Netanyahu said at an army base at an undisclosed location after the military said it had found ammunition in people’s homes.
“Our war is not with you, our war is with Hezbollah. Nasrallah is leading you to the brink of the abyss…Rid yourself from Nasrallah’s grip, for your own good.”
Israel has accused Hezbollah of hiding its weapons in homes and villages in Lebanon, allegations the Lebanese group denies.
‘A VERY DIFFICULT WAR’
Israel struck the Hezbollah-controlled area of Beirut for a second consecutive day after mounting a new wave of airstrikes on targets in Lebanon. Hezbollah said it had fired rockets into northern Israel earlier on Tuesday.
The Lebanese health ministry said at least six people were killed and 15 wounded in Tuesday’s strike on a building in the Ghobeiry neighbourhood of Beirut.
The Israeli government has made securing the northern border and returning residents there a war priority, setting the stage for a long conflict, while Hezbollah has vowed that it will not back down until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.
Lebanese authorities said 558 people had been killed in airstrikes on Monday, including 50 children and 94 women. A further 1,835 were wounded, they said, and tens of thousands more have fled for safety.
“We felt as if we were in a war, a very difficult war,” said Rima Ali Chahine, 50, speaking at a makeshift shelter for displaced people at a Beirut college.
“Maybe it didn’t take us long on the road, but families are now arriving who have been stuck on the roads since yesterday – 15 or 16 hours on the roads.”
The casualty tolls and the intensity of the attacks by the most powerful and advanced military in the Middle East have spread panic in Lebanon, but also defiance among people who recall the devastating Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.
“We are waiting for victory, God willing, because as long as we have a neighbour like Israel, we can’t sleep safely,” said Beirut resident Hassan Omar.
