Israel conducted an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday, killing a senior Hezbollah commander and escalating the ongoing conflict with the Iran-backed group.
The target was Ibrahim Aqil, Hezbollah’s operations commander and a member of its top military body.
He was killed alongside members of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Unit during a meeting, according to two security sources in Lebanon and Israeli Army Radio.
The strike resulted in eight fatalities and 59 injuries, based on preliminary figures from Lebanon’s health ministry.
This attack dealt a further blow to Hezbollah, which had already experienced significant losses earlier in the week when devices used by its members exploded, killing 37 and injuring thousands.
That incident is widely believed to have been orchestrated by Israel, although the country has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.
Rescue teams from civil defense are searching for survivors under the rubble of two buildings affected by Friday’s airstrike.
The Israeli military confirmed it had conducted a “targeted strike” in Beirut but did not provide additional details.
This incident marks the second time in less than two months that Israel has targeted a senior Hezbollah military commander in the city; in July, an airstrike killed Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s top military commander.
According to the U.S. State Department’s website, Aqil had a $7 million bounty on his head due to his connection to the deadly bombing of Marines in Lebanon in 1983.
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