July 30, 2024 - Hamas political leader killed, Israel strikes Beirut

The United Nations is urging Israel and Lebanon to “exercise maximum restraint” and avoid any further escalation following an Israeli strike in Beirut on Tuesday.

 US forces in Iraq conducted an airstrike against combatants attempting to launch drones in Iraq’s Babil province, south of Baghdad, a US defense official told CNN. 

The official said the drones were assessed to pose a threat to US and coalition forces in the area. 

It is not clear who the combatants were, but Iran-backed militias have launched dozens of attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria using drones and rockets since late last year, often prompting a US response. In February, the US launched a wave of retaliatory air strikes against the proxy militias operating in Iraq and Syria. 

The official said, “This action underscores the United States’ commitment to the safety and security of our personnel. We maintain the inherent right to self-defense and will not hesitate to take appropriate action.”

The US airstrike comes as Israel claimed responsibility for a “targeted strike” in southern Beirut, which it said was aimed at the Hezbollah commander responsible for Saturday’s Majdal Shams attack — a major escalation that stokes fears of a regional war.

At least two explosions took place during the Israeli airstrike against a Hezbollah leader in southern Beirut, according to surveillance footage reviewed by CNN. 

Surveillance footage published by a clothing store located across the street from the building targeted by the Israel Defense Forces shows the explosions occurred at 6:55 p.m. local time.

Seconds before the first explosion, a loud whooshing sound is heard. Then, there is a flash, followed by a large explosion and the sound of breaking glass.

Less than two seconds later, another whooshing sound, then a flash, followed immediately by an explosion.

People gather near a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 30.

Two children and a woman were killed in Tuesday’s Israeli strike in southern Beirut, the health ministry said, according to Lebanese media.

Earlier today, Israel said the strike killed Hezbollah’s senior commander, Fu’ad Shukr, in the attack. Hezbollah and Lebanese authorities have not yet confirmed the death.

At least 74 people were injured in the strike, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry and reported by Lebanese media. 

The United States’ commitment to Israel’s security is “ironclad and unwavering against all Iran-backed threats, including Lebanese Hezbollah,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement Tuesday. 

Earlier Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris also told reporters in Atlanta that she “unequivocally” supports Israel’s “right to defend itself.”

US President Joe Biden has yet to weigh in explicitly on the strike Tuesday.

Iraq joined a growing list of countries and groups that have condemned Israel’s strike on Lebanon.

Iran, Lebanon, the Houthis and Hamas have condemned the attack. The United Nations also said it is “deeply concerned” by the strike, according to the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

IDF chief spokesperson Admiral Daniel Hagari speaks during a press conference on Tuesday, July 30.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say Israel is not looking for war, “but we are well-prepared for it.”

His comments came following an IDF attack on Beirut that the IDF says killed Hezbollah commander Fu’ad Shukr.

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the Israeli attack on Beirut, saying it was a clear violation of international law.

Mikati called upon the international community “to assume its responsibility to pressure Israel to stop its aggression and its threats and to implement in international resolutions.”

“The Israeli killing machine has targeted southern Lebanon, El-Beqaa and reached the Lebanese capital, Beirut, meters away from the one of the biggest hospitals in Lebanon,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ali Ammar, member of parliament and Hezbollah official, told the Lebanese news channel NBN, “The resistance will not be quiet about an assault like this.”

The United Nations (UN) said it is “deeply concerned” by the Israeli strike in Beirut on Tuesday, according to the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

In a statement on Tuesday, the special coordinator called on both Lebanon and Israel to “avail of all diplomatic avenues” in order to return to a cessation of hostilities, adding, “there is no such thing as a military solution.”

Hennis-Plasschaert says she is in close contact with “key interlocutors,” according to the statement.

The UN is urging for “calm to prevail” and for both parties to recommit to the implementation of the UN Security Resolution 1701, referring to a resolution ending the last war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, according to the statement.

This recent Israeli strike comes as tensions have been building as the two countries have been exchanging cross border fire since October 7.

Fu’ad Shukr, the “most senior Hezbollah military commander,” was killed in the Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant expressed his “deep appreciation to the IDF” after the death of the commander was announced.

Shukr, he said on X, “has the blood of many Israelis on his hands. Tonight, we have shown that the blood of our people has a price, and that there is no place out of reach for our forces to this end.”