Israel announced on Friday the assassination of Ibrahim Aqil, a top Hezbollah commander, in a series of air raids over Beirut.
Aqil, head of Hezbollah’s special forces, was among several senior officials killed in the strikes, according to Israeli army spokesperson Avichai Adraee.
#عاجل 🟡 جيش الدفاع أحبط محاولة اعتداء بتفجير عبوة ناسفة على الحدود اللبنانية: توثيق من كاميرات الجسم التي كانت بحوزة المخربين
قوات جيش الدفاع التي نصبت كمينًا على الحدود الشمالية مطلع الأسبوع رصدت مخربيْن اثنين لحزب الله قاما بزرع عبوة ناسفة ضد قواتنا على الحدود اللبنانية حيث… pic.twitter.com/tohiKlK2bJ
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) September 19, 2024
The Lebanese group Hezbollah has yet to comment on the attack.
Israel claims that around 10 Hezbollah commanders were killed alongside Aqil in the strikes. The air raids were part of what the Israeli military described as an effort to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure in Lebanon.
Lebanese health authorities reported that nine people were killed in the attacks, including children, though the total death toll may rise. Israeli officials have not commented on these civilian casualties, while local hospitals have been overwhelmed by the sudden influx of wounded, according to CNN.
The airstrikes follow a series of back-to-back Israeli attacks on Lebanon that have left the country on edge. Pagers across several regions, including Beirut and the Hezbollah stronghold of Beqaa Valley, detonated on Tuesday in a coordinated strike that claimed at least 37 lives, including children. Many others were maimed or critically injured as the pagers exploded without warning in people’s pockets.
Just 24 hours later, on Wednesday, Lebanon was rocked again when walkie-talkies similarly detonated in southern Beirut and other Hezbollah-controlled areas. The twin attacks, which Lebanese officials have attributed to Israel, have plunged the country into panic, fear, and grief, with many questioning how the devices were planted and whether Lebanon is on the brink of a wider regional conflict.
Thousands of Lebanese are grappling with the aftermath, as hospitals struggle to treat the injured. Gruesome scenes have played out in the streets, with videos circulating on social media as the victims of the detonations lay in pools of blood after their personal communication devices were converted into weapons.