An Israeli airstrike has flattened a nine-story apartment building in Beirut’s southern suburb, leaving behind a massive pile of rubble.
Amid the chaos, a man, covered in dust, hangs limp in the arms of a rescuer, while a corpse in a body bag is rushed past ambulances on a quad bike.
As the dust settles, suspicion grows. Plainclothes Hezbollah operatives seize the phones of those taking photos, insisting they delete the images. “Get the cell phones out of here!” one woman shouts.
This moment marks one of Hezbollah’s darkest hours. Israeli warplanes targeted a gathering of commanders from Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, who were meeting in the basement of a residential building.
The strike resulted in the deaths of at least 45 people, including women and children, along with 16 Hezbollah fighters, including Radwan leader Ibrahim Aqil and senior commander Ahmad Wehbe.
Just days earlier, the group faced unprecedented losses when hundreds of their walkie-talkies detonated simultaneously, followed by the explosion of thousands of pagers, injuring hundreds.
The string of attacks has claimed at least 80 lives, mostly Hezbollah members, but also women and children.
Now, Hezbollah, one of the world’s most powerful non-state military forces, is grappling with a devastating blow to its military hierarchy and the most significant Israeli infiltration in its over 40-year history.
Lebanese security sources report that this internal breach enabled the recent assaults, spreading fear within Hezbollah’s ranks.
In a Saturday news conference, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi addressed the crisis, calling it an Israeli “breach” and promising to intensify monitoring of “foreigners, hotels, and Syrian camps.”
Israel’s relentless attacks have struck Hezbollah at its core, targeting both the group’s leadership and its foot soldiers.
The once-secretive organization now finds itself weakened, facing the most precarious moment in its long-standing conflict with Israel.
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Hezbollah had hoped that its low-level skirmishes on the border would bolster Hamas in negotiations, but a ceasefire in Gaza seems more distant than ever. The group’s limited confrontation with Israel has come at an enormous cost.
The urge to retaliate has never been stronger, pushing the region closer to the brink of a devastating war.
In its most significant statement since the Israeli airstrike, Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, announced “a new chapter” in the conflict, calling it “a battle without limits.”
Early Sunday, Hezbollah launched its most aggressive attack since the skirmishes began at the Israel-Lebanon border last October.
The group claimed it targeted the Ramat David airbase in southeast Haifa and the Rafael military industries site north of Haifa.
While the Israeli military did not confirm the impact on these sites, officials acknowledged direct hits nearby.
This strike is one of Hezbollah’s deepest since the 2006 Lebanon-Israel war. The group also claimed to have used new missiles, Fadi-1 and Fadi-2, believed to be medium-range rockets. If verified, this would mark the first time Hezbollah has deployed such weapons outside its typical short-range arsenal.
Hezbollah hopes this strike will restore some of its deterrence and force Israel to rethink its “new chapter” in the ongoing conflict.
What’s clear is that the rules of engagement between Hezbollah and Israel have shifted.
Previously, an Israeli strike in Beirut might have provoked a Hezbollah response in a major Israeli city.
However, following Israel’s killing of a Hamas leader in southern Beirut in January, Hezbollah did not retaliate as expected. Since then, Israel has targeted Hezbollah positions in Beirut five times.
Before Friday’s airstrike, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah described the attacks on the group’s wireless devices as “unprecedented and severe.” He implied that while Hezbollah had lost this battle, the war was far from over.
Hezbollah’s supporters are determined to stay defiant. “War is a boxing match. One day you win, another day you lose,” said Hussein, attending the funeral of three Hezbollah fighters killed in the Friday strike. “We are strong in our faith … We are all ready to spill blood for Nasrallah.”
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