WASHINGTON: Hours after the Israeli military launched a series of air strikes on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Friday reiterated his concerns, saying that “diplomacy is the best path forward,” Al Jazeera reported.
“The choices that all parties make in the coming days will determine which path this region is on, with profound consequences for its people now and possibly for years to come,” Blinken said, while speaking to reporters in New York on Friday afternoon.
“The path to diplomacy may seem difficult to see at this moment, but it is there and in our judgement, it is necessary,” the top US diplomat added, saying that the Middle East and the world faces “a precarious moment.”
Blinken’s remarks came a few hours after the Israeli military launched a barrage of missiles in Beirut, accusing Hezbollah of having its “central headquarters” in its southern suburbs, Al Jazeera reported.
“We will continue to work intensely with all parties to urge them to choose that course,” Blinken said.
Meanwhile, Israel has confirmed the killing of top Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in the airstrikes carried out by the Israeli military in Beirut.
In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces said, “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorise the world.”
The IDF said that alongside Nasrallah, the commander of Hezbollah’s so-called Southern Front, Ali Karaki, was also killed, along with other commanders, the Times of Israel reported.
Nasrallah was targeted on Friday at Hezbollah’s main headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold known as the Dahiyeh. The headquarters is underground, beneath residential buildings in the Dahiyeh, the IDF said.
The IDF also said that dozens of anti-ship missiles stored by Hezbollah under buildings in the Lebanese capital of Beirut were also destroyed in Israeli airstrikes overnight.
Hezbollah was known by the IDF to be in possession of the Chinese C-704 and C802 missiles, as well as the Iranian Ghader, which have ranges of up to around 200 kilometres, as reported by Times of Israel.
Following the announcement of Nasrallah’s killing, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said that Israel will reach anyone who threatens the country and its citizens.
“The is not the end of the tools in the toolbox. The message is simple: to anyone who threatens the citizens of the State of Israel, we will know how to get to them,” he added.
Israel on Friday carried out a precision strike against Hezbollah’s central headquarters, located beneath residential buildings in Beirut’s Dahieh.
Notably, the strikes were carried out on the same day, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a stern warning to Iran and the “proxies of Tehran,” there is “no place” in Iran, where the “long arms” of Israel cannot reach, while adding that it is true for the “entire Middle East.” (ANI)