Lebanon Iran, Iraq and Syria Yemen and the Red Sea Deaths Related topics On 30 July 2024, Israel conducted an airstrike on an apartment building in Haret Hreik in the suburbs of the Lebanese capital of Beirut, killing Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr,[1] Iranian military adviser Milad Bedi,[2] as well as five Lebanese civilians, including two children, and wounding 80 others.

[5][6] The Lebanese state National News Agency reported that the attack was carried out by a drone firing three missiles at an apartment building, which partially collapsed.

[12] 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] Fuad Shukr, the target of the attack, was listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S., and served as a senior advisor on military affairs to Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of Hezbollah.

[20] 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.

[33] 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.”[26] 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.

[34] Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant posted a public statement to his X (Twitter) account stating "Hezbollah crossed the red line."

"[35] 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.

[26] 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.

In response, Israel conducted preemptive airstrikes, targeting thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers programmed to fire towards Tel Aviv at 5 a.m., deploying hundreds of jet fighters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security cabinet meeting to address the situation, and emergency measures were implemented across northern Israel, including the opening of shelters and restrictions on public movement.