Israel says Hezbollah leaders killed in Beirut strike were plotting October 7-like murder and kidnap of citizens codenamed 'Conquer the Galilee': Middle East moves closer to war as Iran denounces 'Israeli madness'

Israel has announced that the Hezbollah leaders killed successful the Beirut strike were readying to execution and kidnap citizens successful a 'similar manner' to October 7, edging the Middle East person to the brink of all-out war.

A spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces confirmed connected X that Ibrahim Aqil, the Head of Hezbollah's Operations Unit and the Commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan forces was 'eliminated' successful a 'targeted intelligence-based strike' successful Beirut earlier today. Senior operatives were killed alongside the apical Hezbollah commander.

The IDF claimed that Aqil and the Radwan commanders were readying a 'Conquer the Galilee' attack.

'Hezbollah intended to infiltrate Israeli communities and kidnap and execution guiltless civilians successful a akin mode to the October 7 Massacre,' the IDF said.

'The IDF volition proceed to region the menace of Hezbollah's capabilities and volition proceed to run successful each arenas to support Israeli civilians.'

The Iranian embassy successful Beirut has labelled today's onslaught arsenic 'Israeli madness that crossed each lines'.

Senior Hezbollah panic compartment commandant Ibrahim Aqil, who had a a $7 cardinal bounty placed connected him by the US for his relation successful 1980s panic attacks connected Americans successful Lebanon, was reportedly targeted and killed successful the strike.

About 10 elder Hezbollah commanders had been killed on with Aqil, according to Israel's subject spokesperson, who added that their 'elimination' was 'intended to support the citizens of Israel' and that his state was not seeking determination escalation. 

Lebanese wellness authorities person truthful acold lone confirmed that 8 radical died successful the attack, with 59 injured.

Pictures person emerged showing a immense crater wherever a gathering was razed successful the confederate Daniyeh suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold which is besides a residential country with tightly-packed blocks of flats.

It marks the archetypal specified onslaught connected the Lebanese superior successful months, with erstwhile strikes connected the aforesaid country sidesplitting erstwhile main commandant Fuad Shukr connected July 30 and Hamas lawman person Saleh al-Aruri connected January 2.

News of the onslaught broke astir the aforesaid clip arsenic Hezbollah launched astir 150 rockets into Israel in retaliation for overnight bombing raids, with the militant radical saying it had attacked the country's main quality office successful the north.

Tensions are soaring successful the portion pursuing the deadly sabotage attacks connected thousands of Hezbollah fighters' pagers and walkie talkies, which the militant radical and its backers Iran attributed to Israel, vowing revenge against their associated enemy.

Israel has not commented connected the blasts, but has stepped up its run against Hezbollah since they began connected Tuesday, striking dozens of rocket launchers successful confederate Lebanon past night.

Hezbollah staged revenge attacks this afternoon, announcing it had launched 'salvos of Katyusha rockets' against astatine slightest six Israeli 'army headquarters' and bases, including a 'main aerial defence base'.

The Iran-backed Lebanese radical and Israel person been engaged successful bitter cross-border warring since warfare broke retired successful Gaza past October, with Hezbollah naming 482 members who person been killed truthful far. 

Responding to quality of the reported sidesplitting of elder Hezbollah operative Aqil, Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati accused Israel of giving 'no value to immoderate humanitarian, ineligible oregon motivation considerations.'

The Iranian embassy successful Lebanon condemned Israel's onslaught connected Beirut's confederate suburbs arsenic 'Israeli madness that crossed each lines' by targeting residential buildings, it said successful a station connected X.

Meanwhile the White House has said it was not pre-notified of the airstrike, adding that this was 'not atypical'.

It comes aft Lebanon's ambassador to the UK warned yesterday that an Israeli crushed penetration would pb to a 'doomsday' script of all-out determination conflict.

Rami Mortada told The Times that the portion is connected a 'perilous path' with the imaginable of Iran and its proxy militia forces successful Yemen, Iraq and Syria each joining a struggle betwixt Israel and Hezbollah.

The group's person Hassan Nasrallah said successful an code yesterday that pager and walkie talkie weaponry attacks 'could beryllium called a declaration of war' - fuelling fears that a large struggle could erupt astatine immoderate time.

Israel has moved much troops to the borderline successful caller days and has stepped up its aerial attacks connected confederate Lebanon aft much than 11 months of cross-border warring betwixt the sworn enemies.

The Israeli subject said contiguous that 120 missiles were launched astatine areas of the Golan Heights, Safed and the Upper Galilee, immoderate of which were intercepted. 

Fire crews were moving to extinguish blazes caused by pieces of debris that fell to the crushed successful respective areas.

Another 20 missiles were changeable astatine the areas of Meron and Netua, and astir fell successful unfastened areas, the subject said, adding nary injuries were reported.

Hezbollah said the rockets were successful retaliation for Israeli strikes connected villages and homes successful confederate Lebanon.

Israel said antecedently that it struck hundreds of rocket launchers and different Hezbollah infrastructure connected Thursday night.

A connection from the Israel Defence Forces connected X said: 'With the absorption of IDF intelligence, the IAF struck astir 30 Hezbollah launchers and violent infrastructure sites, containing astir 150 launcher barrels that were acceptable to occurrence projectiles toward Israeli territory.

'Additionally, the IDF struck Hezbollah violent infrastructure and a weapons retention installation successful aggregate areas successful confederate Lebanon.'

At the aforesaid time, the service ordered residents successful parts of the Golan Heights and bluish Israel to debar nationalist gatherings, minimise movements and enactment adjacent to shelters successful anticipation of imaginable rocket fire.

Hezbollah struck astatine slightest 4 times successful bluish Israel connected Thursday and 2 Israeli soldiers were killed successful a onslaught earlier successful the day.

Their attacks came portion the person of Hezbollah vowed to support up regular strikes connected Israel contempt this week's deadly sabotage of its members' connection devices.

The attacks began hours aft Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expanded Israel's authoritative warfare aims, saying its subject would present purpose to halt Hezbollah's attacks successful the northbound to let tens of thousands of residents to instrumentality to their homes. 

In a nonstop effect during his code connected Thursday, Nasrallah said Israelis displaced from their homes adjacent the Lebanon borderline due to the fact that of the warring would not beryllium capable to instrumentality until the warfare successful Gaza ends.

The onslaught connected physics devices appeared to beryllium the culmination of a months-long cognition by Israel to people arsenic galore Hezbollah members arsenic imaginable each astatine erstwhile - but civilians were besides hit.

At slightest 37 radical were killed, including 2 children, and immoderate 3,000 wounded successful the explosions Tuesday and Wednesday.

Nasrallah said the radical is investigating however the bombings were carried out.

'Yes, we were subjected to a immense and terrible blow,' helium said. 'The force crossed each boundaries and reddish lines.

'The force volition look a terrible and just punishment from wherever they expect and don't expect.'

He said Hezbollah volition proceed its barrages into bluish Israel arsenic agelong arsenic the warfare successful Gaza continues, vowing that Israel volition not beryllium capable to bring its radical backmost to the borderline region.

'The lone mode is halt the aggression connected the radical of Gaza and the West Bank,' helium said. 'Neither strikes nor assassinations nor an all-out warfare volition execute that.'

Earlier connected Thursday, Hezbollah said it had targeted 3 Israeli subject positions adjacent the border, 2 of them with drones. Israeli hospitals reported 8 radical lightly oregon moderately injured.

Hezbollah says its near-daily occurrence is simply a amusement of enactment for Hamas. Israel's 11-month-old warfare with Hamas successful Gaza began aft its militants led the October 7 onslaught connected Israel.