Israel Strikes Lebanon Again After Killing Hezbollah Leader
"The bombings late Saturday were the latest in a week of stepped up attacks. A bombing on Friday assassinated Hassan Nasrallah, a stunning escalation in Israel’s campaign against the Iranian-backed group.
Pinned
Israeli airstrikes battered areas near Beirut again on Saturday evening, hours after Hezbollah confirmed that its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah had been killed in an Israeli bombing that destroyed residential buildings near Lebanon’s capital the night before.
The assassination, which Israel said hit the Iranian-backed militia’s underground headquarters, was a stunning escalation of Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in a conflict that has gone on for nearly a year. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel on Oct. 8 in solidarity with Hamas, which is also supported by Iran. Israel frequently responded, intensifying its attacks dramatically over the last two weeks, fueling fears of an all-out regional war that could draw in bigger players like Iran.
In the immediate days after the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, Israeli intelligence officials feared a pre-emptive strike was imminent from another longtime enemy, Hezbollah. They frantically prepared to stop it with plans to strike and kill Hassan Nasrallah, the powerful Hezbollah leader who the Israelis knew would be in a bunker in Beirut.
But when Israel informed the White House of its plans, alarmed administration officials discounted the imminent Hezbollah strike. President Biden called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told him that killing Mr. Nasrallah would set off a regional war and asked him to hold his fire, current and former senior American and Israeli officials said."
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