Israel says 5 Iran Guards, including 3 key commanders, killed in Beirut hotel strike
‘There is no safe place for the Iranian axis of evil … in the Middle East – not in Beirut, not anywhere else, said Israel’s military chief
The Israeli military said on Sunday it had killed three key commanders from the elite Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in a strike on a hotel in central Beirut, which it said left five Guards dead.
“Overnight, the Israeli Navy, directed by precise IDF (Israel Defence Forces) intelligence, conducted a precise strike in Beirut, Lebanon, targeting five commanders from the IRGC’s Lebanon Corps and Palestine Corps while they were meeting at a hotel in Beirut,” the military said.
In a separate statement, Israel’s military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said: “There is no safe place for the Iranian axis of evil anywhere in the Middle East – not in Beirut and not anywhere else.”
No one expected an Israeli strike to disturb the relative safety of the touristy area where Beirut’s Ramada hotel is located, a few metres away from Lebanon’s landmark Pigeon Rocks.
The rock formation, which comprises a natural arch and neighbouring sea stack, decorates the area of Raouche, facing a large banner that reads “beautiful romantic scenery”.
They stood witness to Israel’s first attack on central Beirut since the start of its new war against Hezbollah.