A high-ranking Hezbollah official has been killed in an airstrike, with Israel being cited as the responsible party. This incident raises tensions in the region once more.
Ibrahim Aqil, the leader of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit, has been killed in a targeted operation in Beirut, Lebanon, as announced by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday.
The United States had previously held Aqil responsible for the bombing of the American Embassy in Beirut in April 1983, which resulted in the deaths of 63 individuals, and in 2019, a bounty of $7 million was placed on him.
The IDF stated, “Air Force fighter jets targeted the Beirut area and eliminated Ibrahim Aqil, the head of the operations team for the Hezbollah terrorist organization, the acting commander of the Radwan unit, and the leader of the ‘Galilee Conquest Plan.’”
Additionally, several senior officers from the Radwan unit were reportedly “eliminated” alongside Aqil. The Israeli military indicated that Aqil and his team were planning an incursion into Galilee, similar to Hezbollah’s attack from Gaza on October 7.
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According to two Israeli security sources speaking to Axios, at least three individuals were killed and 17 others injured in the bombing. Saudi television network Al-Arabiya reported Aqil’s death as a result of the Israeli strike, although Hezbollah has yet to confirm this information.
The IDF noted that Aqil had been leading Hezbollah’s operations since 2004 and was implicated in numerous attacks against Israel. The Israeli military affirmed its commitment to “continue to act to undermine the capabilities of and damage the terrorist organization Hezbollah.”
Following Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s announcement of a “new phase in the war” against Hezbollah on Wednesday, Israel has escalated its air and artillery assaults on Lebanon. Earlier this week, Israel claimed to have remotely activated hundreds of pagers and other communication devices used by Hezbollah, resulting in at least 37 fatalities and approximately 3,000 injuries, including among children.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah condemned the attack as a “massacre” and a “declaration of war,” accusing Israel of engaging in “sheer terrorism” and committing “war crimes” that have breached “all restrictions and red lines.”
