Hezbollah launches fresh attack on N. Israel after deadly airstrikes on group's HQ

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM -- Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an attack on Safed, an Israeli city in northern Israel, late Friday night.

The militia group in Lebanon said the attacks were "In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and defense of Lebanon and its people, and in response to the barbaric Israeli invasion of cities, villages, and civilians."

Israeli state-owned Kan TV news reported that there were two direct hits on a building in the city of Safed, with no casualties.

The attack followed a significant Israeli airstrike on Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut, which resulted in at least two fatalities and 76 injuries, according to initial reports. Israeli media suggested the strikes targeted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, whose status remains unclear.

Lebanon's al-Jadeed TV reported approximately 10 airstrikes on Hezbollah's headquarters in Dahieh, with footage showing smoke rising from the site.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed that the airstrikes were directed at Hezbollah's main headquarters, situated beneath residential buildings in the area.

The airstrikes rocked Beirut shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Netanyahu's office said that the Israeli prime minister approved the airstrike earlier Friday from his hotel, and decided to return to Israel after the UN address earlier than scheduled.

At the General Assembly on Friday, Netanyahu ruled out an immediate truce in the escalating conflict with Lebanon. He also warned of threats from Iran, suggesting Israel faces multiple fronts of conflict organized by Tehran.

Later on Friday, the IDF announced new airstrikes in southern Lebanon and "deep in the country," aiming for rocket launchers and facilities used for storing weapons.

"The IDF continues to attack, damage, and degrade the capabilities and military infrastructure of the terrorist organization Hezbollah," the IDF declared.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Friday condemned Israel's airstrike on Hezbollah headquarters, describing the attack as "brutal and terrorist."

Israel has intensified its airstrikes across Lebanon since Monday, marking the most extensive military action in the region since 2006.

Lebanon's health ministry reported nearly 700 deaths due to the strikes this week, and the International Organization for Migration estimated that over 200,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon since last October when Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas.