Hezbollah, Iran strike Israel as Israel pounds Beirut: Wednesday night wrap up

BEIRUT — Wednesday saw a major escalation in Lebanon, with numerous Israeli strikes and the first coordinated attacks by Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The morning began with a rare dawn strike in the Aisha Bakkar district of Beirut, killing four people.

The day was punctuated by multiple evacuation notices for seven neighborhoods in Beirut’s southern suburb, six villages in southern Lebanon, and seven villages in the Saida district.

Israeli strikes also caused numerous casualties in the Bekaa and southern Lebanon: at least 16 killed in the Bekaa (Temnin al-Tahta and Shaath) and at least 29 killed in the South (Shehabieh, Bint Jbeil, Habboush, Hanaway, Tebnin, Bass-Maarakeh, Deir Antar, and Burj al-Shemali).

Since March 2, according to Lebanese authorities, at least 634 people have been killed, including 91 children, and 1,586 injured, while 816,000 people have been displaced.

Launch of 'Eaten straw' operations

Tension peaked around 8:30 p.m., when the Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli army claimed on X that Hezbollah had fired rockets toward northern Israel “in the past few minutes.”

The Israeli press reported a simultaneous attack with Iran against Israel. A few minutes later, Hezbollah announced on its Telegram account the launch of “The chewed straw” operations, referring to a Quranic verse.

The Israeli army immediately carried out several strikes on Beirut’s southern suburb, then announced it had “launched a large wave of strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure,” claiming to act “with determination against the terrorist organization Hezbollah following its deliberate decision to attack Israel on behalf of the Iranian regime.”

According to the Health Ministry, these strikes injured 17 people.

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The Israeli army spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, called on residents of the southern suburb to evacuate immediately, threatening that “the Israeli army will soon act with very great force” against Hezbollah infrastructure.

Upon the announcement of Hezbollah’s operation, he added: “We will respond ‘an eye for an eye, but double’.” For her part, Ella Waweya, another army spokesperson, said Hezbollah was ready “to sacrifice Beirut for the Iranian regime.”

Strike on Ramlet al-Baida, 8 killed

Shortly before midnight, the Revolutionary Guard confirmed it had carried out a “joint operation” with Hezbollah against Israel. According to Fars and Tasnim agencies, the operation consisted of five hours of continuous fire, combining missiles from the Guards and drones and missiles from Hezbollah, targeting “more than 50 targets” in Israel.

Avichay Adraee responded: “'If I had known...' is a phrase every Hezbollah terrorist will repeat, filled with regret and aware of the great crime he has committed.”

The Israeli air force then carried out several strikes in Beirut’s southern suburb. According to the Israeli army, “the army detected and destroyed dozens of rocket launchers and neutralized several Hezbollah members planning to fire toward Israel,” striking “10 buildings in 30 minutes,” including “intelligence sites and a headquarters of the Radwan unit.”

Shortly before 2 a.m., an Israeli strike hit the Ramlet al-Baida district in Beirut. According to initial reports, three missiles fired from an Israeli drone were used.

The health minister said early Thursday that eight people were killed and 31 injured. At the same time, the Israeli army struck two sites in Aramoun, in the Aley district, killing at least three people and injuring one, a child.

Israeli press

Meanwhile, the Israeli press reported alarming information. “The next 24 hours will be decisive for the continuation of the campaign in Lebanon. Hezbollah is preparing for its own downfall,” a senior official told Channel 12.

“We are on the eve of launching a major campaign in Lebanon. We will mobilize reservists,” another official told Yediot Aharonot. “We were aware of their intention to fire a larger volume tonight,” he added, referring to Hezbollah’s rocket fire.

“A security discussion is underway and the campaign in Lebanon is expected to expand significantly.”

The official also mentioned “a serious escalation” and claimed that “it does not appear that Hezbollah is heeding the Lebanese government’s calls to stop its fire. It does not care about the Lebanese government.”

According to Channel 12, Israel had in recent hours sent an explicit threat against Lebanese infrastructure, via Western countries and with U.S. mediation: “If you do not restrain Hezbollah, we will attack government infrastructure. The responsibility lies with the Lebanese state.”

Hezbollah attacks

For its part, Hezbollah claimed several attacks against Israel, including dozens of rockets and swarms of drones on localities near the Lebanese-Israeli border, such as Kiryat Shmona, Naharia, Metula, Shlomi, Avivim and Shtoula, as well as on several military bases in Haifa, Safed and around Lake Tiberias, including the northern command headquarters, the Haifa naval base, and Tirat Carmel, the Misgav base, Stella Maris base and the Rafael industrial complex.

The group also targeted Glilot base, home to the 8200 military intelligence unit, in the Tel Aviv suburbs. Later in the night, Hezbollah claimed attacks on Naharia, Beit Lid, and the Yaara barracks.