Israel strikes Hezbollah’s main bastion in Lebanon

BEIRUT – Israel carried out air strikes on Hezbollah’s main bastion in southern Beirut on November 7, with one targeting an area near Lebanon’s only international airport.

The pre-dawn raids came after Hezbollah said it had launched a series of attacks on Israel, including a rocket strike on a military base near Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport.

Also on November 6, the Ministry of Health reported that Israeli strikes on Bekaa Valley and in the densely populated ancient city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, where Hezbollah rules, 40 people were killed.

Hezbollah and Israel have been at war since late September, when Israel shifted its focus from fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip to securing its northern border.

Hezbollah began low-intensity strikes against Israel in 2023 in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas after attack on October 7, 2023.

A strike near Beirut airport caused heavy damage to a warehouse at a heating plant, an AFP photographer said.

Transport Minister Ali Hami said the airport continues to operate as normal, with planes taking off and landing without problems.

The raid caused minor damage to some airport buildings, including the premises of flag carrier Middle East Airlines.

The terminal building was secure, an airport official told AFP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Mr Abu Eli, a taxi driver, was at the airport when the strikes began.

“The whole parking lot was shaking. People were carrying suitcases on their shoulders and running,” he said. “When I went outside there was so much smoke that I had to turn on my headlights.”

‘Warm and cordial’

While some in Lebanon had hoped the November 5 US presidential election could provide a reprieve, Hezbollah’s leader said in a speech broadcast on November 6 that the vote would not affect the future of the conflict.

He also warned that Hezbollah has tens of thousands of trained fighters ready to fight and that nowhere in Israel is “off-limits” to attacks.

The Israel Airports Authority said Nov. 6 that operations at the main airport near Tel Aviv’s commercial hub were not affected after Hezbollah said it fired rockets at a military base nearby.