Israel ‘raids Hezbollah commander’ in Beirut

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on September 20 that it had carried out a “localized” attack on the Lebanese capital Beirut, but did not provide information about the target or related damage.

Israeli media quoted a security source as saying the target was Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil. He is a member of the Jihad Council, Hezbollah’s top military body. Aqil is wanted by the US for his alleged involvement in the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut, as well as for directing the taking of American and German hostages in Lebanon in the 1980s.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said the raid killed at least three people, but did not name them, and injured 17 others.

AFP Aqil was killed, according to a source close to Hezbollah.

Scene of devastation at the scene of the Israeli raid video

Images from the scene showed a high-rise neighborhood in Beirut devastated, with several vehicles destroyed and thick smoke rising into the sky. Residents gathered to try to clear the debris.

Lebanese media reported that many women and children were among the victims. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the airstrike as showing that Israel “does not care about humanitarian, moral or legal issues”.

Israel rarely targets Beirut, although it regularly strikes Lebanese territory. The September 20 incident was the third time the IDF has done so since the beginning of the conflict.

The attack came shortly after Hezbollah announced a barrage of rockets targeting at least six Israeli military headquarters and bases, including “a key air defense base.” The IDF said the enemy fired about 140 rockets within an hour, starting early afternoon.

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have escalated in recent days after thousands of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies exploded across Lebanon on September 17-18, killing at least 37 people and injuring about 3,000.

The militant group accused Israel of being behind the series of explosions and vowed “appropriate punishment”, while Tel Aviv did not comment on the information.

Two previous Israeli raids in the Beirut area, in January and July respectively, killed Saleh Al-Arouri, deputy leader of Hezbollah’s armed wing, and the group’s top military official Fuad Shukr.