Beirut hit again by Israel as Iran vows not to back down

Israeli military claims strikes targeted new Hezbollah leaders

- BEL TREW, CHRIS STEVENSON

Israel has claimed to have targeted Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut as it carried out strikes against the militant group's leadership - with Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowing that Tehran and its proxies will not back down.

The air attack on Beirut, part of a wide assault that has driven more than 1.2 million Lebanese residents from their homes, is reported to have targeted the potential successor to Hassan Nasrallah, the longtime leader of Hezbollah who was assassinated by Israel a week ago.

Hashem Safieddine's fate is unclear, and neither Israel nor Hezbollah has offered any comment. Israeli Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said yesterday afternoon that the military was still assessing the damage caused by the airstrikes in southern Beirut. He added that the army had "eliminated" approximately 250 Hezbollah operatives, including four battalion commanders and nine company commanders.

Earlier, the Israeli military reported that it had killed the head of Hezbollah's communication networks, Mohammad Rashid Sakafi. It declined to comment on the report that Safieddine had been targeted.

In what was a rare public appearance, in front of a huge crowd in Tehran, Ayatollah Khamenei said that Iran and the Tehranbacked militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas would not be cowed by Israel. His pledge came two days after Tehran raised the stakes by firing missiles at Israel, after Israel sent ground forces into Lebanon earlier this week.