Israel-Hezbollah Relations After the Golan Heights Synagogue Explosion on Monday, January 24: A Senior Fellow’s Death in Lebanon

Israel has struck Hezbollah in Lebanon before, but the first time it had hit a Hezbollah figure was in the capital. In January, the Israeli military killed Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas leader, in Beirut.

Tensions have soared between Israel and Hezbollah since the assault on Saturday in the Golan Heights, which killed the children and teenagers as they played soccer.

The Israeli officials that spoke about the strike on Tuesday did so under shrouds of anonymity to discuss details of the operation.

Video and photographs posted on social media showed smoke rising above buildings in the dark. Crowds gather in the streets of the south suburb, where Hezbollah holds sway.

Lebanon’s state-run news agency reported that fire trucks and ambulances rushed to the scene of the strike. The footage on the TV channels was of a damaged building.

While opening his house in Lebanon’s southern suburbs, a taxi driver named Mohammed Awada heard something like thunder and then a big explosion.

The State Department offers rewards for information leading to the capture or conviction of terrorists who are involved in crimes, such as the 1983 bombing of an American Marine compound in Lebanon.

The senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said he was a very big target. He would be the biggest loss since Oct. 7.

The program was offering up to $5 million for information on Mr. Shukr and the State Department labeled him a “specially designated global terrorist” in 2019, according to the website.

Israel and Hezbollah in the War on Gaza: The Beirut Explosion Revealed by a Hamas-Cascade

A large explosion ripped through the streets of southern Beirut on Tuesday evening. Israel claimed to have carried out a hit that it said was a targeted strike.

The United States and other nations have warned the Israeli government not to escalate the conflict with Hezbollah, as it continues its campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

Close to the location of Tuesday’s strike in Beirut, police closed off the roads and an ambulance wailed its way to the area. People shouted, “My family is inside, my family is inside!” They were running towards the explosion.

Israel made it clear that it would retaliate for Saturday’s rocket attack it blamed on Hezbollah. “Hezbollah crossed the red line,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wrote on X Tuesday.

When asked about the strike in a briefing with reporters, U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said that the United States’ support for Israel was “ironclad” especially if it did defend itself against Iran-backed threats. He said those included threats from Hezbollah.

The strike came as the international community urged restraint from both sides, fearing that an escalation on the Israel-Lebanon border could spark an all-out war.

John Kirby, White House national security spokesman, told reporters on Monday that they don’t want the war to escalate. “We don’t want to see a second front opened up there in the north. Finding a solution to reduce tensions is our focus, and we’re focused on doing what we can to do that.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was also responded to questions about the strike in Beirut. “We do not believe that an all out-war is inevitable,” she said, adding, “we believe that it can still be avoided.”

U.S. diplomats believe that the best way to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah is to reach a cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza.