BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 20 (UPI) -- Israeli bombers targeted the fortified headquarters of Hezbollah militants in Beirut Thursday with 23 tons of explosives, military officials said.
The airstrike was an attempt on the life of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other senior leaders of the militant Shiite group, and was based on intelligence obtained Wednesday night, the Jerusalem Post reported.
After the attack, however, the group's al-Manar television outlet said the Israelis had bombed a mosque under construction and missed any Hezbollah members, the Arutz Sheva newspaper reported.
A senior Israeli officer told the newspaper Hezbollah is thought to have "dozens or more fortified bunkers along the border with Israel, some dug as deep as 130 feet, containing "stocks of weapons and ammunition, as well as communication equipment for giving orders."
Thursday marked the ninth day of cross-border attacks between the guerrillas and Israeli forces that began when two Israeli soldiers were abducted near the border.
