In fresh escalation, Israel launches airstrike on Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut

In a major escalation, Israel conducted a wave of air strikes on the south of Lebanon's capital Beirut on Friday (September 27) that it said targeted Hezbollah's headquarters, moments after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep fighting the militant group.

The strikes, heard across the Mediterranean city, sent huge clouds of smoke soaring above its densely populated southern suburbs, the main bastion of Iran-backed Hezbollah, said an AFP report.

Six people were killed and 91 wounded in the air strikes launched by Israel to 'target' Hezbollah operatives , according to provisional data given by Lebanon's health ministry on Saturday.

Also read:  Lebanon: Over 490 killed in Israel's biggest offensive against Hezbollah since Gaza war

By far the fiercest strike

While Friday's strikes on south Beirut were not this week's first, they were by far the fiercest.

"Oh my God, what strikes? I felt like the building was going to collapse on top of me," said Abir Hammoud, a teacher in her 40s who lives in the southern suburbs of Beirut told AFP.

Vowing to secure its border with Lebanon, Israel has since Monday pounded Hezbollah strongholds chiefly in the east and south of the country, defying calls from world leaders and aid agencies to halt the violence.

Seven buildings were also demolished in the strikes, where Israeli forces claim weapons were being stored. Hezbollah has denied that they had established a weapons depot in Beirut.

Hezbollah chief the target

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the strike targeted "the central headquarters" of Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of the city.

Israeli television networks reported that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was the target of the strike, though the source close to Hezbollah said he was "fine".

The bombing came moments after Netanyahu concluded his address to UN General Assembly delegates in New York, in which he vowed to keep up strikes against Hezbollah and fight "until victory" against Hamas.

Also read: Netanyahu ignores truce call, directs army to ‘keep fighting Hezbollah with full force’

‘Fight against Hezbollah to go on’

Earlier this month, Netanyahu said Israel would fight Hezbollah until thousands of Israelis displaced by the cross-border fighting could return to their homes.

"As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice, and Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their home safe," Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly, adding that operations against the Iran-backed militant group will "continue until we meet our objectives."

Earlier Friday, Hezbollah fired rockets into the northern Israeli city of Tiberias, saying it was responding to "savage" strikes on Lebanese towns and villages.