Israel kills senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut

2024-09-20 20:30:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Israel carried out a rare airstrike targeting a top Hezbollah commander in a crowded neighborhood south of Beirut on Friday, the Israeli military said.

It was the deadliest attack in Lebanon's capital in recent years, with at least 12 others reported killed.

Israeli military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said the attack in the Dahia neighborhood south of Beirut targeted and killed Ibrahim Akil, the commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, as well as 10 other operatives of the terrorist-designated group. by the United States of America.

Hezbollah has not confirmed Akhil's death so far.

The Israeli military did not reveal the identities of the other commanders it said it killed in the attack in the crowded neighborhood.

Lebanese health officials said at least 12 people were killed and 66 others wounded in the attack. Nine of the injured are in serious condition, according to them.

Akili served as head of Hezbollah's top military body, the Jihad Council, and has been sanctioned by the United States for his involvement in two terrorist attacks in 1983 that killed more than 300 people at the American Embassy. in Beirut and in the US Navy barracks.

Friday's attack in Beirut took place during rush hour when people were returning home from work and children had finished school.

"The attack in Lebanon was carried out to protect Israel," Hagari said at a press conference after the attack, describing Akil as one of the Hezbollah militants responsible for the group's regular rocket attacks on Israel.

Earlier on Friday, Hezbollah hit northern Israel with 140 rockets, a day after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed retaliation against Israel for deadly explosions of telecommunications equipment in Lebanon this week.

Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged fire almost every day since October 8, a day after the war between Israel and Hamas - the Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union - began.

However, Friday's missile attack was larger than usual.

Nasrallah vowed on Thursday to continue daily attacks on Israel, despite this week's deadly attack on its members' communications equipment./ REL