he’s fine – Time

Extremely strong explosions in the southern outskirts of Beirut, clouds of black and orange smoke rising into the city sky, chaos with ambulances trying to reach the area, making their way through the fleeing people. This is the image of the Lebanese capital after a massive Israeli attack in which the IDF reported hitting Hezbollah’s central headquarters. The target, according to what was leaked in the Israeli media, was Hezbollah’s number one, Hassan Nasrallah. Sources quoted by Sky News Arabia reported that Nasrallah was not involved in the raid and was “in a safe place”. While it emerged from Israeli sources that the IDF is checking Nasrallah’s conditions. In any case, the Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, reported “many victims” in Beirut due to the raid, with local media reporting that 6 buildings were destroyed.

The raid on Beirut came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s eagerly awaited speech to the UN General Assembly in New York. From the podium Netanyahu had promised: Israel will continue against Hezbollah in Lebanon “until all our objectives are achieved”, he said, further weakening hopes of an internationally supported ceasefire to stop the spiral that risks causing slide the Middle East into an all-out regional war. And he had also threatened Iran: “if you hit us we will hit you. There is no place in Iran that the Israeli army cannot reach and this is true for the entire Middle East.” Then the news of the explosions in Beirut. Netanyahu left a briefing with Israeli journalists after his military secretary, Major General Roman Gofman, approached him and whispered something in his ear. Netanyahu approved the Beirut attack over the phone from his New York hotel, the Israeli prime minister’s office said. And he subsequently decided to bring forward his return to Israel.

According to what an Israeli source told Axios journalist Barak Ravid, they were alerted to the raid a few minutes before it took place; the version provided by a Pentagon spokesperson is different, according to which there had been no warning and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant while the operation was already underway. Netanyahu’s words at the UN were not conciliatory, indeed he reiterated that Israel will continue in Gaza and Lebanon and threatened Iran, then attacking the United Nations as a “swamp of anti-Semitic bile”. “I had no intention of coming here” because “my country is at war and fighting for its life, but after hearing lies about Israel from many speakers on this podium I decided to come and set the record straight,” he said , arguing that Israel “yearns for peace” but must defend itself. While some delegations, including Turkey, had left the chamber, Netanyahu said the war in Gaza could end now if Hamas surrenders and frees the hostages but, if that doesn’t happen, Israel “will fight until it achieves victory.” , a total victory.”