Israel claims to have killed Hezbollah commander in Beirut

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on September 20 that it had carried out a “precision-targeted” attack on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital Beirut.

Israel said it had killed Ibrahim Aqil, commander of the elite Radwan unit and the second-highest ranking official in Hezbollah’s armed wing after Fuad Shukr, who was killed by Israel in late July. Reuters The source said that the Radwan unit was in a meeting at the time of the incident, and several other members of Radwan were also killed.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said the raid killed at least eight people, but did not name them, and injured 59.

Hezbollah has not commented on Aqil.

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. At least two residential buildings collapsed. Residents gathered to try to clear the rubble.

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”.

Ibrahim Aqil is wanted by the US for allegedly participating in the bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, as well as directing the hostage-taking of Americans and Germans in Lebanon in the 1980s. The US once offered a reward of $7 million for information leading to his capture.

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.

Following the Israeli raid on Beirut, Hezbollah announced it had launched a barrage of rockets at a key enemy intelligence base in northern Israel, which was “responsible for assassinations” in Lebanon.

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.

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 conflict between the two sides escalated with the Gaza war in October 2023. The previous two raids, in January and July, killed Saleh Al-Arouri, the deputy head of Hezbollah’s armed wing, and Fuad Shukr, the group’s top military official.