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2024 Haret Hreik airstrike

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2024 Haret Hreik airstrike
Part of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present) and spillover of the Israel–Hamas war
Haret Hreik is located in Lebanon
Haret Hreik
Haret Hreik
Location within Lebanon
LocationBeirut, Lebanon
Date30 July 2024
7:40 (UTC+03:00)
TargetFuad Shukr
Attack type
Airstrike
Deaths4 civilians[1]
Fuad Shukr
Injured80 civilians[1]
Perpetrator Israeli Air Force

On 30 July 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted an airstrike on an apartment building in Haret Hreik in the suburbs of Beirut, killing 4 civilians, including two children, and wounding 80 others.[1][2] According to the IDF, the attack targeted Fuad Shukr, a Hezbollah commander who was accused by the IDF of being involved in the rocket attack that occurred three days earlier in Majdal Shams, Golan Heights, which killed 12 Druze children and teenagers.[3][4] Lebanese state news agency NNA reported that the attack was carried out by a drone firing three missiles at an apartment building, which partially collapsed.[4]

Israeli officials stated that the country aimed to send "a very strong message" with the attack but hoped to avoid further escalation.[5]

Initial reports suggested that Fuad Shukr survived the attack, but Saudi news outlet AlHadath stated that he had died and that his body was being held at a hospital in Beirut.[6] Israel later reported Shukr was dead, while Hezbollah has not yet verified this and is still evaluating the damage from the strike.[7] The following day, an-Nahar reported that the body of Shukr may have been found under the rubble.[8]

Background

Since the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel on Israel, Hezbollah and Israel have been involved in cross-border military exchanges that have displaced entire communities in Israel and Lebanon, with significant damage to buildings and land along the border. As of 5 July 2024, Israel reports having killed approximately 366 Hezbollah operatives with over 100 Lebanese civilians confirmed killed. According to the UN, over 90,000 people in Lebanon have been forced to flee their homes, while in Israel, 60,000 civilians have evacuated.[9] Israel and Hezbollah have maintained their attacks at a level that causes significant harm without escalating into a full-scale war.[10] From 7 October 2023 to 21 June 2024, Israel attacked Lebanon 6,124 times. Hezbollah and other Lebanese forces attacked Israel 1,258 times.[11]

On 27 July 2024, the Majdal Shams attack took place when a football pitch was hit by a rocket in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights,[a] resulting in the deaths of 12 children and young people from the Druze minority.[12][13] This incident became the deadliest along Israel's border with Lebanon since the onset of the 2023 conflict, provoking widespread outrage and shock due to the victims' young age.[14] Israel and the United States have attributed the attack to Hezbollah, noting that the rocket was an Iranian-made Falaq-1 with a warhead containing over 50 kilograms of explosives.[15] Hezbollah has, however, firmly denied any involvement.[14] In response, Israel vowed to retaliate while explicitly aiming to specifically target Hezbollah and avoid escalating the conflict into a full-scale regional war.[16] Before the attack, several international airliners ceased their flights to Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport.[17] Earlier on 30 July, a Hezbollah rocket attack on Kibbutz HaGoshrim in the Upper Galilee killed an Israeli civilian.[18]

Target

Main article: Fuad Shukr

Fuad Shukr, the target of the attack, was listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US, and served as a senior advisor on military affairs to Hasan Nasrallah, secretary-general of Hezbollah. He also served in Hezbollah's highest military body, the Jihad Council. Shukr was involved in the 23 October 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps Barracks in Beirut which killed 241 U.S. military personnel and wounded 128 others.[19] In 2017, the US Treasury offered $5 million for information on Shukr.[18][20]

Attack

Witnesses reported a loud explosion at around 7:40 PM (local time)[21] in the Dahieh district of Beirut, an area with significant Hezbollah presence.[22] The attack targeted Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr,[3] near Hezbollah's Shura Council.[23] Shukr, a senior adviser to Hezbollah's secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, was previously named by the Israel Defense Forces as a commander of the group's precision missile project.

Lebanese state news agency National News Agency (NNA) reported that the attack was executed using a drone that launched three missiles, although the IDF's statement on the attack did not specify the exact method of the strike.[4] The missiles struck an apartment building prompting half of it to collapse and caused minor damage to a hospital next to the building. Immediately following the attacks, a significant panic occurred among the citizens, when many of them tried to flee home to safety and caused a lot of congestion. In addition, groups of demonstrators began to fill the streets near the site of the attack, while shouting slogans and slogans in favor of Hezbollah.[24][25] Reporters and journalists faced hostility while covering the incident, namely Al Jazeera and MTV, who were attacked by Hezbollah supporters that were at the site of the raid in Haret Hreik and prevented them from covering the event.[26][27]

Early reports indicated that Fuad Shukr survived the airstrike. However, Saudi-owned news outlets have since cited sources reporting that Shukr was killed in the attack. According to Al Hadath news, his body is now being held at a Beirut hospital, surrounded by a security cordon.[28] Israel later said Fuad Shukr was killed, while Hezbollah has yet to confirm his death and states it is still assessing the damage from the strike.[7] The Lebanese Health Ministry said that a two woman and two children were killed and an additional 80 were injured.[1] The following day, Lebanese security sources announced that his body was found under the rubble confirming his death.[29]

Reactions

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the attack, calling it a “series of aggressive operations killing civilians in clear and explicit violation of international law.”[25] Information Minister Ziad Makary stated that Lebanon anticipates a Hezbollah retaliation for the Israeli strike and that the government will pursue diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions.[30]

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant posted a public statement to his X (Twitter) account stating "Hezbollah crossed the red line." shortly after the attack took place.[25]

Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar stated: "This enemy demands war and we are up for it, God willing, we are up for it."[31] Thirty minutes later, it was reported that Israeli Defense Minister Gallant told troops that "we don't want war, but we're preparing for all possibilities."[32]

International

United States Vice President Kamala Harris stated that Israel "has a right to defend itself against the terrorist organisation, which is exactly what Hezbollah is" while on a campaign trip to Atlanta, Georgia.[25]

The Foreign Ministry of Iran called the attack "vicious" and expressed admiration for the resistance of the Lebanese people against "the aggression of the Israeli apartheid regime" in support of Palestinians.[25]

The Russian Foreign Ministry called the attack a "gross violation of international law".[25]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Israel captured the territory from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day war and later annexed it. Most of the international community consider the territory part of Syria occupied by Israel, though this is disputed by Israel and the United States.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Death toll from Israeli strike on south Beirut rises to 4". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Lebanon Says 3 Dead, 74 Injured In Israeli Strike On South Beirut". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b Ari, Lior Ben (30 July 2024). "Loud blast heard in Lebanese capital Beirut, Reuters witness says". Ynetnews. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b c https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/30/middleeast/beirut-explosion-hezbollah-stronghold-intl-latam
  5. ^ Radford, Aditi Sangal, Sana Noor Haq, Antoinette (30 July 2024). "Israel Hezbollah latest". CNN. Retrieved 30 July 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "In reversal, reports now say Fuad Shukr was killed in Israel strike". The Times of Israel. 30 July 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Israel claims it killed senior Hezbollah commander in strike on Beirut". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Body of Hezbollah's Fuad Shukr found under rubble of Beirut blast - report". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Israel-Hezbollah: Mapping the scale of damage of cross-border attacks". BBC. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  10. ^ Keller-Lynn, Carrie (27 July 2024). "Deadly Rocket Strike on Soccer Field Raises Risk of Escalation with Hezbollah". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  11. ^ At least 12 killed in rocket attack in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Archived 29 July 2024 at the Wayback Machine Al Jazeera 27 July 2024
  12. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (27 July 2024). "12 killed, mostly children, dozens hurt as Hezbollah rocket hits Majdal Shams soccer field". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Missile hit in Majdal Shams kills nine, injures at least 34 including children". Ynetnews. 27 July 2024. Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Explosion hits Beirut suburb as Israel says it carries out strike". BBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  15. ^ Lewis, Simon. "US blames Hezbollah for Golan Heights attack, says it doesn't want escalation". Reuters.
  16. ^ "Israeli officials say they want to avoid all-out war in Lebanon retaliation". Reuters. 30 July 2024.
  17. ^ Barrington, Lisa (29 July 2024). "Beirut flights cancelled or delayed amid fears of Israeli attack". Reuters.
  18. ^ a b Ari, Lior Ben (30 July 2024). "In response to Golan massacre, Israel attacks senior Hezbollah officer Fuad Shukr in Beirut". Ynetnews. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Fuad Shukr – Rewards For Justice". Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Source Close To Hezbollah Says Top Commander Fuad Shukr Survived Israeli Strike". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Israeli military says targeted strike in Beirut is retaliation for Golan Heights attack". CBC. 30 July 2024.
  22. ^ Smith, Benedict; Cleave, Iona; Barber, Harriet (30 July 2024). "Suspected Israeli strike targets Hezbollah commander in Beirut". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  23. ^ Ari, Lior Ben; Reutrers (30 July 2024). "In response to Golan massacre, Israel attacks senior Hezbollah officer Fuad Shukr in Beirut". Ynetnews. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  24. ^ Rasgon, Adam; Bergman, Ronen; Ward, Euan (30 July 2024). "Live Updates: Israel Strikes Beirut Suburb, Targeting Hezbollah Commander". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  25. ^ a b c d e f Adler, Nils; Stepansky, Joseph. "Hezbollah sources say commander survives Israeli strike on Beirut". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  26. ^ "Lebanese news crew assaulted in Beirut while covering Israeli strike". Arab News. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  27. ^ Assault on MTV and Al Jazeera crews in the suburb Al Modon (2024/07/31)
  28. ^ "In reversal, reports now say Fuad Shukr was killed in Israel strike". Times of Israel. 30 July 2024.
  29. ^ Body of top Hezbollah commander found in Beirut rubble, sources say Reuters.com (July 31, 2024)
  30. ^ "Lebanese government expects Hezbollah to retaliate for Israeli strike, will try calm situation". Times of Israel. 31 July 2024.
  31. ^ "Hezbollah MP says Israel 'demands war, and we are up for it'". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  32. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (31 July 2024). "Gallant: 'We don't want war, but we are preparing for all possibilities'". Times of Israel.
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