Israel strikes Beirut suburb as conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon intensifies

With the danger of a wider Middle East war looming, Israel on Friday bombarded part of the Lebanese capital, killing at least 14 people and wounding 66 others, Lebanese authorities said.

The attack hit a seven-story residential building in Beirut, causing it to collapse. Crowds milled in front of the blast site, walking gingerly over a carpet of shattered glass, crushed masonry and downed power lines. Many were grimly waiting for news of loved ones trapped under the wreckage.

“My friend is trapped in the rubble of the central building,” said Mahmoud, a 23-year-old who gave only his first name. “I hope he’s martyred. He would be happier with that than being wounded.”

Almost four hours after the blast, ambulances were still coming in as crews worked to extricate those trapped inside. Exterior walls of one nearby residential building were blown off, revealing the rooms inside as if a dollhouse.

Some took to social media to post pictures of missing family members.

The strike came just days after thousands of sabotaged electronic devices exploded across Lebanon, killing 30 and wounding thousands, an action widely attributed to Israel.

Ahead of Friday’s Israeli strike, Hezbollah had pounded northern Israel on Thursday night with rockets. The group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, vowed revenge for the spate of bombings in Lebanon through pagers and walkie-talkies widely blamed on Israel.

Friday’s attack targeted and killed several commanders in the Radwan Force, Hezbollah’s special forces, said Israeli army spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

Among them was Ibrahim Aqil, whom Hagari described as a senior military commander who is close to Nasrallah and had been planning a large-scale attack in the Galilee region of northern Israel. The U.S. previously accused Aqil of responsibility for the deadly bombings of U.S. Marines in Lebanon in the 1980s.

Hezbollah confirmed Aqil’s death late Friday.

The strike occurred in Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut where Hezbollah is headquartered. It is a densely populated area with a vibrant commercial sector, shops and markets.

The Lebanese civil defense said at least two apartment buildings had collapsed.

Residents were told to evacuate the area. Families appeared by the barricade, looking dazed as they carried duffel bags, suitcases and pet carriers.

At one point, an older official took a megaphone, asking the crowd to disperse and let rescue crews do their job. He exhorted the crowd to show their defiance against Israel, shouting, “We are at your service, Nasrallah.”

Israel and Hezbollah renewed their clashes in October, when the Iran-backed militant group stepped up cross-border attacks in what it said was solidarity with Hamas and Palestinians fighting Israel in the Gaza Strip.

In recent days, Israel has repeatedly telegraphed a more aggressive stance toward Hezbollah. On Thursday, the Israeli military said its chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, had recently approved new plans for the northern conflict zone. A day earlier, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared that the conflict was entering a “new phase.”

The escalation comes even as U.S. officials crisscross the region imploring leaders to avoid inflaming tensions — a plea evidently ignored. Biden administration officials, who have been unsuccessful in securing a cease-fire in Gaza that could ease the regional conflict, were quick to insist the U.S. had nothing to do with Friday’s attack, a similar disclaimer made following the explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies.

“Our intensive diplomacy efforts continue,” White House national security spokesman John F. Kirby said Friday. “We believe, continue to believe, that a diplomatic solution is the best way forward. … War is not inevitable.”

Bulos reported from Beirut and Wilkinson from Washington. Times staff writer Laura King in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.