Israel Reports Extensive Airstrikes in Southern Lebanon; Casualties from Friday's Attack Rise

One day after Israel's airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, which resulted in the deaths of several senior Hezbollah commanders, the Israeli army announced extensive airstrikes in southern Lebanon. On Saturday evening, September 31, the Israeli army stated that it targeted approximately 180 positions in southern Lebanon, destroying a large number of Hezbollah rockets that were ready to be fired towards Israel. The official Lebanese news agency also reported widespread airstrikes in the southern part of the country, noting that Israeli fighter jets conducted over 50 strikes in less than 40 minutes on Saturday evening, with the attacks continuing thereafter. According to Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the Israeli army, the Saturday evening attacks were carried out after intelligence indicated Hezbollah was preparing for a large-scale missile attack on Israel. The spokesperson added that over 400 Hezbollah launchers were targeted throughout Saturday. No reports of potential casualties from Saturday evening's Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon have been released yet. Meanwhile, Hezbollah's missile and rocket attacks towards Israel continued throughout Saturday, with the group claiming to have targeted the Ramat David airbase. The Ramat David base and airport are located 50 kilometers from the Lebanese border, and according to the Israeli army, 'only 10 projectiles crossed the border, most of which were intercepted.' Previously, Israeli officials had stated that Hezbollah fired about 100 missiles and rockets at northern Israel on Saturday, but there were no casualties. In the meantime, Reuters reported that the death toll from Friday's Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut (Dahiyeh) has reached at least 37, with rescue teams still searching for individuals under the rubble. Hezbollah, the group affiliated with the Islamic Republic, confirmed that Ibrahim Aqil, a senior commander, and Ahmad Wahbi, another commander of the group, were among the dead. Jake Sullivan, the U.S. National Security Advisor, emphasized that the United States is concerned about escalating tensions, while also describing the death of Ibrahim Aqil as 'justice served.' The U.S. had placed Ibrahim Aqil on its wanted list and subsequently on its 'terrorism' list due to his involvement in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut. Hezbollah-affiliated media have so far published the names and images of 17 members and commanders of the 'Radwan Unit' who were killed in Friday's attack. The Israeli army stated that by targeting a meeting of these commanders held in the basement of a building, it has 'almost completely' destroyed the military command chain of Hezbollah's Radwan Unit. Meanwhile, Reuters, citing the Lebanese Ministry of Health, reported that three children and seven women were among the dead. According to Ali Hamieh, Lebanon's Minister of Transport and affiliated with Hezbollah, at least 23 people are still missing. The Friday attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut occurred after the explosion of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah on Tuesday and Wednesday. According to Reuters, the total casualties from the explosion of these communication devices have reached 39 dead and over three thousand injured. The current crisis in the region began following an attack by the extremist group Hamas on southern Israel, which resulted in around 1200 deaths and 250 hostages. In response to this group's attack, Israel launched operations across the Gaza Strip, which, according to officials under Hamas, has so far resulted in over 41,000 deaths.