Israeli strike in Beirut kills 14, including top Hezbollah commander, with 66 others injured

BEIRUT:

Israel conducted an airstrike on Beirut on Friday, killing a senior Hezbollah commander, Ibrahim Aqil, along with other high-ranking figures from the Lebanese group. The Israeli military and a Lebanese security source confirmed the deaths, stating that Aqil and members of an elite Hezbollah unit were targeted, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed organisation.

Hezbollah later confirmed Aqil's death, describing him as "one of its top leaders" but did not disclose specific details of the incident. In a follow-up statement outlining Aqil’s biography, Hezbollah referred to the strike in Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburbs as a "treacherous Israeli assassination."

Lebanon's health ministry reported that at least 14 people were killed in the airstrike and at least 66 people were injured, with the number expected to rise as rescue operations continued overnight. It remains unclear if this toll includes Aqil and the other Hezbollah commanders.

Earlier, Lebanon’s health ministry said  “the Israeli enemy strike on Beirut’s southern suburb killed eight people,” leaving “59 injured, including eight in critical condition,” the ministry said in a statement, after initially reporting 3 dead and 17 wounded.

A source close to Hezbollah told AFP that the Israeli air strike killed the group’s elite Radwan unit chief, while the Israeli military said it conducted “a targeted strike” on the Lebanese capital.

“The Israeli air strike killed Radwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil, its armed force’s second-in-command after Fuad Shukr,” who an Israeli strike killed in July, also in Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold, said the source who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Friday’s strike was the third blamed on or claimed by Israel to hit the southern suburbs of Beirut since October, when Hezbollah began cross-border clashes with Israel in support of Palestinian Hamas over the Gaza war.

The latest strike came days after deadly sabotage attacks on Hezbollah’s communications devices sent tensions soaring.

“Israel conducted an air strike on the Beirut southern suburbs near Al-Qaem mosque,” a Lebanese security source told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

The Israeli military said it carried out a “targeted strike” in Beirut.

In a “preliminary toll,” Lebanon’s health ministry said the strike killed a total of three people, and hospitals received 17 wounded.

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television broadcast live footage from the scene of the attack that showed ambulances rushing to the area and transporting injured people on stretchers.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported “an enemy raid targeting an apartment in a residential building in the Al-Jamous area of the southern suburb” of Beirut.

The previous strikes on south Beirut killed Shukr on July 30 and Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri on January 2.