THIS is the moment a top Hezbollah chief is eliminated in a airstrike blitz in Lebanon.
Fears are growing that southern Lebanon could soon become a “death zone” after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to double-down on the terror group with “full force”.
XThe view of a neighbouring shop at the moment the Israeli airstrike first hit[/caption]
XThe blast that killed Muhammad Hossein Sarur in Lebanon[/caption]
XThose inside the shop were left scrambling to safety when the strike blasted the neighbouring building[/caption]
Footage posted to social media shows a building in the Middle Eastern country at the moment it gets hit by multiple deadly blasts.
CCTV from a neighbouring shop at the same time shows the whole room begin to violently shake as people fall to the floor before running and crouching under their desks for shelter.
Witnesses on the ground claim to have seen three missiles strike one of the floors in the high rise apartment building.
It has since been confirmed that the chief of Hezbollah’s aerial force, Muhammad Hossein Sarur, was killed in the blast.
Following the assassination of the chief, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi confirmed that the military will continue to strike the group saying all of Lebanon “remains in our crosshairs”.
He said: “We need to continue attacking Hezbollah. We have been waiting for this opportunity for years.
“We are constantly working to make achievements, to eliminate more senior officials, to thwart the transfer of weapons, to [destroy] Hezbollah’s firepower [capabilities], and to attack it in all of Lebanon.”
After landing in New York and amid talk of a ceasefire, PM Netanyahu backed up his military commander saying the assassination was part of the policy to “keep striking Hezbollah until we accomplish all of our goals”.
Ongoing diplomatic talks to bring a halt to the war have been desperately ongoing as the UK today joined the US, France and a host of allies to call for an immediate temporary ceasefire.
The nations called for a 21-day ceasefire “to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement”, as well as a ceasefire in Gaza between Hamas and Israel.
A statement said: “The situation between Lebanon and Israel since October 8th, 2023 is intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation.
“This is in nobody’s interest, neither of the people of Israel nor of the people of Lebanon.
“It is time to conclude a diplomatic settlement that enables civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes in safety.
“Diplomacy however cannot succeed amid an escalation of this conflict.”
The statement also called for the governments of Lebanon and Israel to “endorse the temporary ceasefire immediately and to give a real chance to a diplomatic settlement”.
But, following hours of silence, Netanyahu clarified that “full force” fighting would continue and reports of a ceasefire were “incorrect”, YNet reports.
U.S Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that there was a risk of an “all-out war” between Hezbollah and Israel – but added that a diplomatic solution was still feasible.
After meeting with his British and Australian counterparts in London, he said: “We now face the risk of an all-out war. Another full-scale war [could] be devastating for both Israel and Lebanon.
“So let me be clear, Israel and Lebanon can choose a different path, despite the sharp escalation in recent days, a diplomatic solution is still viable.”
AFPA cloud of smoke erupts during an Israeli air strike on a village outside Tyre in southern Lebanon on Thursday morning[/caption]
AFPIsraeli soldiers have been preparing to invade Lebanon[/caption]
AFPIsraeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz (L) rejected ceasefire proposals on Thursday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) vowed to double-down on the Hezbollah blitz[/caption]
Half a million Lebanese have already fled their homes
All-out war in the Middle East seemed all but inevitable Wednesday night as Israel‘s army chief told his forces to gear up for a land offensive across the border.
Western allies were scrambling to broker a temporary ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel – branding the escalation of violence “intolerable”.
But truce plans went out the window when Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz rejected all proposals for a ceasefire with Hezbollah.
In a statement on X he said: “There will be no ceasefire in the north.
“We will continue to fight against the Hezbollah terrorist organization with all our strength until victory and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes.”
Hundreds of people have been killed this week alone with half a million forced to flee their homes.
It comes as Israel continues to pummel areas of southern Lebanon used by Hezbollah with airstrikes.
Thousands of Brits remain in the country and the military is on standby to evacuate them if Israel does invade.
A pause on hostilities was meant begin in just “hours”, the Telegraph reported earlier today.
Western leaders have been trying to stop the fighting for weeks, with US President Joe Biden saying he fears it would lead to “all-out war”.
Overnight, Lebanon said at least 23 Syrians, most of them women and children, were killed when Israel hit a three-story building in the country.
Another 13 people were also killed and 11 injured in other airstrikes with Israel saying it hit 75 Hezbollah targets in the country.
Around 80,000 Israelis have fled the area after regularly being bombarded by Hezbollah’s rockets following the October 7 terror attack.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that any deal could include a ceasefire in Gaza, with IDF troops remaining in the strip but not invading Lebanon.
Hezbollah troops would also have to withdraw from the southern Lebanese border, the report claims.
Latest UK government estimates are that there are up to 6,000 British citizens still in Lebanon.
Sir Keir Starmer last night paved the way for troops to launch an evacuation mission if commercial flights stop.
At the United Nations yesterday he called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Pressed last night on the escalating conflict, the PM said: “I’m not going to get into the details of evacuation plans.
“As you would expect, we put contingency measures in place. But here in New York, in the UN General Assembly, I’m being very, very clear this is a dangerous situation now and all parties need to pull back from the brink, to de-escalate.
“We need a ceasefire and this needs to be sorted out by diplomatic means. Very, very clear messaging on that, very firm messaging on that along with key allies.
“But I am very concerned about the increasing escalation which is not just day on day, but almost hour on hour at the moment.”
EPAIsrael has also hit homes in the Lebanese capital Beirut[/caption]
GettySir Keir Starmer has called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah[/caption]
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