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2024 Haret Hreik airstrike
Part of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present) and the spillover of the Israel–Hamas war
Type	Airstrike
Location	Beirut, Lebanon
Objective	Retaliation for the Majdal Shams attack
Date	30 July 2024 7:40 ( GMT+3:00)
Executed by	Israeli Air Force
Casualties	3 civilians killed (a woman and two children) 74 injured

On 30 July 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted an airstrike on an apartment building in Haret Hreik in the suburbs of Beirut, killing 3 civilians, including two children, and wounding 74 others. ^[1] According to the IDF, the attack targeted Fuad Shukr, a Hezbollah commander who was accused by the IDF of being involved in the rocket attack that occurred three days earlier in Majdal Shams, Golan Heights, which killed 12 Druze children and teenagers. ^{[2] [3]} Lebanese state news agency NNA reported that the attack was carried out by a drone firing three missiles at an apartment building, which partially collapsed. ^[3]

Israeli officials stated that the country aimed to send "a very strong message" with the attack but hoped to avoid further escalation. ^[4] Early reports indicated that Shukr survived, but later, Saudi news outlet AlHadath reported that he died and his body was being held at a Beirut hospital. ^[5]

Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group, is supported and funded by Iran and reportedly serves as their proxy in regional conflicts. ^{[6] [7] [8]} Since its inception, the elimination of the state of Israel has been one of Hezbollah's primary goals. ^{[9] [10] [11] [12]} The group has engaged in conflicts with Israel in the past, including the South Lebanon conflict, the Shebaa Farms conflict, and the 2006 Lebanon War.

A day after the Hamas-led 7 October attack on Israel, Hezbollah joined the conflict by launching guided rockets and drone attacks at Israeli communities and military installations in northern Israel. This conflict has displaced entire communities in Israel and Lebanon, with significant damage to buildings and land along the border. As of 5 July 2024, Israel reports having killed approximately 366 Hezbollah operatives with over 100 Lebanese civilians confirmed killed. According to the UN, over 90,000 people in Lebanon have been forced to flee their homes, while in Israel, 60,000 civilians have evacuated. ^[13] Israel and Hezbollah have maintained their attacks at a level that causes significant harm without escalating into a full-scale war. ^[14] From 7 October 2023 to 21 June 2024, Israel attacked Lebanon 6,124 times. Hezbollah and other Lebanese forces attacked Israel 1,258 times. ^[15]

On 27 July 2024, the Majdal Shams attack took place when a football pitch was hit by a rocket in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, ^[a] resulting in the deaths of 12 children and young people from the Druze minority. ^{[16] [17]} This incident became the deadliest along Israel's border with Lebanon since the onset of the 2023 conflict, provoking widespread outrage and shock due to the victims' young age. ^[18] Israel and the United States have attributed the attack to Hezbollah, noting that the rocket was an Iranian-made Falaq-1 with a warhead containing over 50 kilograms of explosives. ^[19] Hezbollah has, however, firmly denied any involvement. ^[18] In response, Israel vowed to retaliate while explicitly aiming to specifically target Hezbollah and avoid escalating the conflict into a full-scale regional war. ^[20] Before the attack, several international airliners ceased their flights to Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport. ^[21] Earlier on 30 July, a Hezbollah rocket attack on Kibbutz HaGoshrim in the Upper Galilee killed an Israeli civilian. ^[22]

Fuad Shukr, the target of the attack, was listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US, and served as a senior advisor on military affairs to Hasan Nasrallah, secretary-general of Hezbollah. He also served in Hezbollah's highest military body, the Jihad Council. Shukr was involved in the 23 October 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps Barracks in Beirut which killed 241 U.S. military personnel and wounded 128 others. ^[23] In 2017, the US Treasury offered $5 million for information on Shukr. ^{[22] [24]}

Witnesses reported a loud explosion at around 7:40 PM (local time) ^[25] in the Dahieh district of Beirut, an area with significant Hezbollah presence. ^[26] The attack targeted Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, ^[2] near Hezbollah's Shura Council. ^[27] Shukr, a senior adviser to Hezbollah's secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, was previously named by the Israel Defense Forces as a commander of the group's precision missile project.

Lebanese state news agency National News Agency (NNA) reported that the attack was executed using a drone that launched three missiles, although the IDF's statement on the attack did not specify the exact method of the strike. ^[3] The missiles struck an apartment building prompting half of it to collapse and caused minor damage to a hospital next to the building. Immediately following the attacks, a significant panic occurred among the citizens, when many of them tried to flee home to safety and caused a lot of congestion. In addition, groups of demonstrators began to fill the streets near the site of the attack, while shouting slogans and slogans in favor of Hezbollah. ^{[28] [29]}

Early reports indicated that Fuad Shukr survived the airstrike. However, Saudi-owned news outlets have since cited sources reporting that Shukr was killed in the attack. According to Al Hadath news, his body is now being held at a Beirut hospital, surrounded by a security cordon. ^[30] The Lebanese Health Ministry said that a woman and two children were killed and an additional 74 were injured. ^[31]

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the attack, calling it a “series of aggressive operations killing civilians in clear and explicit violation of international law.” ^[29]

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant posted a public statement to his X (Twitter) account stating "Hezbollah crossed the red line." shortly after the attack took place. ^[29]

United States Vice President Kamala Harris stated that Israel "has a right to defend itself against the terrorist organisation, which is exactly what Hezbollah is" while on a campaign trip to Atlanta, Georgia. ^[29]

The Foreign Ministry of Iran called the attack "vicious" and expressed admiration for the resistance of the Lebanese people against "the aggression of the Israeli apartheid regime" in support of Palestinians. ^[29]

The Russian Foreign Ministry called the attack a "gross violation of international law". ^[29]

• Assassination of Saleh al-Arouri
• 1983 Beirut barracks bombings
• 2024 Majdal Shams attack