Rescue efforts continue in Beirut as workers search for survivors in the rubble after an Israeli airstrike on Friday killed at least 37 people, including senior Hezbollah leaders. The strike targeted a gathering of Hezbollah commanders in a suburb of the Lebanese capital, marking one of the deadliest attacks in nearly a year of conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed group.

Hezbollah confirmed that 16 of its members, including senior leader Ibrahim Aqil and commander Ahmed Wahbi, were among the dead. Israel’s military stated that it targeted an underground meeting of Aqil and leaders of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces, claiming to have severely disrupted the group’s military command structure. The attack leveled a multi-story residential building, damaged a nearby nursery, and killed several civilians, including three children and seven women, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

The airstrike comes amid heightened tensions, with cross-border strikes continuing on Saturday. Israeli warplanes launched the heaviest bombardment in 11 months across southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah retaliated with rocket attacks on military targets in northern Israel. The Israeli army reported hitting around 180 targets, including thousands of rocket launch barrels, as it sought to dismantle Hezbollah’s operational capabilities.

This latest escalation follows two days of attacks on Hezbollah’s communications devices, believed to have been carried out by Israel, which resulted in dozens of deaths and thousands of injuries. Although Israel has not confirmed involvement, these strikes have added to the rising death toll, which has now surpassed 740 in Lebanon since October.