Hezbollah leader survives Israeli assassination attempt in Beirut; airstrikes kill 18

Shafaq News/ An Israeli attempt to assassinate a senior Hezbollah official in Beirut has failed.

According to three security sources cited by Reuters. Wafic Safa, a prominent Hezbollah leader, survived the attack, which took place amid a series of Israeli airstrikes on the Lebanese capital.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed that the death toll from the strikes has risen to 18, with 92 others injured.

The Israeli military launched three airstrikes in the heart of Beirut, targeting the neighborhoods of Nweiri, Khatam al-Anbiya in Basta al-Fawqa, and around Bechara El Khoury.

The first airstrike hit the third floor of an eight-story building in Nweiri, while the second destroyed a four-story building in Basta. Details on the third strike have yet to emerge.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the strike in Nweiri was intended to eliminate Wafic Safa, a Hezbollah military commander.

Notably, this is the third attack in Beirut city, after Cola, and Bashura attacks that killed paramedics.

Speculation circulated that other prominent figures were also targeted, including Ali Hejazi, Secretary-General of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party in Lebanon. However, Lebanese media later refuted claims that Hejazi had been killed.

The airstrikes in Beirut coincided with new Israeli evacuation orders for a building in the Hezbollah stronghold of Haret Hreik in southern Beirut, though it remains unclear if this is related to another potential assassination operation.