IDF destroys Hezbollah anti-aircraft missiles near Beirut airport, bombs weapon factories in Lebanese capital

As the IDF began its ground invasion into southern Lebanon, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) continued its campaign of systematic degradation of Hezbollah’s advanced capabilities, while also eliminating Palestinian terrorists in the country.

Israel Defense Forces announced on Monday that a precise strike by IAF fighter jets destroyed a warehouse containing surface-to-air missile launchers just 1.5 km (about one mile) from Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport.

You don’t need to imagine how much damage these weapons can cause.

These surface-to-air missiles are only 2 weapons from Hezbollah’s expansive and deadly arsenal that can destroy areas from over 50 kilometers away.

We are operating in Lebanon in order to protect our civilians… pic.twitter.com/0865QEUfLB

— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) September 30, 2024

“Hezbollah’s air defense system is equipped with surface-to-air missile batteries that are hidden in civilian infrastructure under the auspices of the civilian population in Lebanon. The surface-to-air missiles are a threat to the international airspace for passenger planes and can hit any aircraft flying in the Lebanese air space,” the IDF said in a statement.

NEW | Israel–Hamas War (Iran) Update, September 30, 2024: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it began a "targeted and delimited ground operation in southern Lebanon" on September 30. 1/4

Full report: https://t.co/4aoV0eoNcg pic.twitter.com/neLtd3pTYL

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) October 1, 2024

The army stressed that Hezbollah’s air defense systems “are deployed all over Lebanon and are a threat to the international aviation space.”

The strike was part of a larger wave of airstrikes that targeted dozens of headquarters, warehouses, and anti-aircraft missile launchers at different ranges. Those strikes enabled the IAF “to complete hundreds of attack sorties by aircraft and fighter jets all over Lebanon to remove the various threats.”

⭕A surface-to-air missile launcher storage facility that Hezbollah had positioned approx. 1.5 km from Beirut’s international airport was dismantled in a precise IDF strike.

This infrastructure poses a threat to both the Lebanese and international airspace.

The IDF will… pic.twitter.com/x4TviBeCqE

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 30, 2024

Later on Monday, the IDF again called on residents of specific buildings in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district to evacuate before striking “several weapon production sites” and other military infrastructure.

“Before the attack, many steps were taken to reduce the chance of harming those not involved by warning the population in the area, using precision and aerial weapons,” the IDF stressed.

🔴سنستهدف هذه المنشآت قريبًا جدًا
من أجل سلامتكم وسلامة أحبائكم - إخلوا المباني فورًا وابتعدوا عنها ومن المباني المجاورة لها pic.twitter.com/6zPN0bK0gt

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) September 30, 2024

“The terrorist organization Hezbollah consciously places its production sites and weapons in the heart of the city of Beirut and hides them in the population centers of the city.”

In addition to these targeted strikes, additional attacks were reported throughout Lebanon, which intensified toward the evening as the IDF began sending ground troops over the border.

#عاجل جيش الدفاع أغار بشكل موجه بدقة على مواقع انتاج وسائل قتالية وبنى تحتية أخرى لحزب الله في ضاحية بيروت الجنوبية

🔸أغارت طائرات حربية لسلاح الجو أمس بتوجيه استخباري من هيئة الاستخبارات وبشكل موجه بدقة في الضاحية الجنوبية في بيروت على عدد من مواقع انتاج الأسلحة وبنى العسكرية… pic.twitter.com/QfRZLQxTHq

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 1, 2024

On Tuesday morning, another Israeli strike reportedly killed Hassan al-Maqdah, a commander in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade terror group, which is the military wing of the Palestinian Fatah party.

Al-Maqdah was killed in the Ain al-Hilweh camp near the city of Sidon. It was the first reported Israeli airstrike in the camp since the war started. The strike allegedly targeted the home of his father Munir al-Maqdah, a senior commander in the same group.

Hassan’s uncle, Khalil, another high-ranking operative in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade’s Lebanese branch, was also killed in an Israeli strike in August.

In addition, on Tuesday morning, Syrian media reported that an Israeli strike hit a home in the upscale al-Mazza district of Damascus.

Israel hasn’t commented on the strike and the target remains unclear. According to Reuters, three people died and nine were wounded.