BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli air strike on Beirut killed a senior Hezbollah commander on Tuesday (Sep 24) as cross-border rocket attacks by both sides increased fears of a full-fledged war in the Middle East.
Israel's military said the air strike on the Lebanese capital killed Ibrahim Qubaisi, who it said was the commander of Hezbollah's missile and rocket force. Two security sources in Lebanon described him as a leading figure in the Iran-backed group's rocket division.
Israel's military later said the air force also conducted "extensive strikes" on Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon, including weapons storage facilities and dozens of launchers that were aimed at Israeli territory.
"Hezbollah today is not the same Hezbollah we knew a week ago. (It) has suffered a sequence of blows to its command and control, its fighters, and the means to fight," Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, adding the strikes would continue.
"These are all severe blows," he told Israeli troops.
Lebanon reported 569 people had been killed and 1,835 wounded since Israel launched heavy strikes on Monday morning, including 50 children, Health Minister Firass Abiad told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV.
Hezbollah said it launched rockets on Tuesday at the Dado military base in northern Israel and attacked the Atlit naval base south of Haifa with drones, among other targets. The Israeli military said sirens sounded in the early evening in the northern city of Safed, where Dado is located, and nearby areas. It did not say whether the base was hit.
Israel's new offensive against Hezbollah has stoked fears that nearly a year of conflict between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza could destabilise the Middle East.
At the UN, US President Joe Biden sought to calm Mideast tensions. "Full-scale war is not in anyone's interest, even if a situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible," he told the 193-member UN General Assembly.
Israel is shifting its focus from Gaza to the northern frontier, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, which is also backed by Iran.
Israel wants to secure its northern border and allow displaced residents to return. This has set the stage for a long conflict, while Hezbollah has said it will not back down until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said Israel was open to ideas for de-escalating the conflict in Lebanon. "We are not eager to start any ground invasion anywhere ... We prefer a diplomatic solution," he told reporters.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Lebanese citizens to reject Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
"Our war is not with you, our war is with Hezbollah. Nasrallah is leading you to the brink of the abyss," Netanyahu said at an Israeli army base.
The Israeli military said it found ammunition in Lebanese people's homes. Israel has accused Hezbollah of hiding its weapons in homes and villages in Lebanon, allegations the Lebanese group denies.
"A VERY DIFFICULT WAR"
Israel struck the Hezbollah-controlled area of Beirut for a second consecutive day. The Lebanese health ministry said at least six people were killed and 15 wounded when a building in the Ghobeiry neighbourhood of Beirut was struck.
Lebanese environment minister Nasser Yassin said 27,000 people were registered as displaced by the bombing campaign launched by Israel on Monday.
"We felt as if we were in a war, a very difficult war," said Rima Ali Chahine, 50, speaking at a makeshift shelter for displaced people at a Beirut college.
"Maybe it didn't take us long on the road, but families are now arriving who have been stuck on the roads since yesterday - 15 or 16 hours on the roads."
The casualties and the intensity of the attacks by the most powerful and advanced military in the Middle East have spread panic in Lebanon, but also defiance among people who recall the devastating Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.
"We are waiting for victory, God willing, because as long as we have a neighbour like Israel, we can’t sleep safely," said Beirut resident Hassan Omar.
CALLS FOR DIPLOMACY
Calls for diplomacy are growing as the conflict worsens, with UN human rights chief Volker Turk urging all states and actors with influence to avert further escalation in Lebanon.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told MSNBC that he believed "a path forward" could still be found to de-escalation and a diplomatic solution.
The fighting has raised fears that the United States, Israel's close ally, and regional power Iran, which has proxies across the Middle East - Hezbollah, Yemen's Houthis and armed groups in Iraq - will be sucked into a wider war.
Hezbollah last week suffered heavy losses when thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by its members exploded.
The operation was widely attributed to Israel, which has a long history of sophisticated attacks on foreign soil. It has not confirmed or denied responsibility.