Israel kills Hezbollah commander in latest strike

The IDF has confirmed that it killed Iran-backed group Hezbollah’s operations commander, Ibrahim Aqil, in its latest strike against the terrorist organisation, writes Will Martin.

Ibrahim Aqil was one of at least 12 people killed in its air strikes on Beirut, according to the Israelis. There are claims that up to ten Hezbollah senior figures were hit in the latest attack. The strike killed nine people and wounded 59 others, Lebanon’s health ministry said, though the number is expected to rise.

The group’s operations commander first became involved with Hezbollah in the 1980s and has been head of operations since 2004. He was designated as a global terrorist by the US justice department for his alleged role in the US embassy bombings in Beirut in 1983 killing over 60 people. The US government put a $7m bounty on his head.

A security source in Lebanon told Reuters that he was killed with members of the Radwan unit as they held a meeting in the heart of Beirut. Reports suggest the Israeli government believed the commander and Hezbollah’s Radwan unit were planning more attacks and to attempt to occupy parts of northern Israel.

Before the attack, Hezbollah had already launched more than 100 rockets into Israel today. The strike on Beirut appears to be a direct response by the IDF as it keeps hitting Hezbollah in an effort to deter it from further attacks in the north.

Tensions only continue to rise in the Middle East but Israel said this week it is determined to return residents to northern Israel who had to flee after Hezbollah rocket attacks intensified from 7 October, in the hours after the attack by Hamas from Gaza. More than 40 settlements close to the border have been evacuated for almost a year now.

Hezbollah’s supporters condemned the latest action by Israel. The Iranian embassy in Lebanon said it “condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli madness that crossed all lines with targeting residential buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs.”

The American University Hospital in Beirut has already been treating multiple Hezbollah members after 30 were killed earlier this week when numerous devices – pages and walkie talkies – exploded in attacks on Hezbollah.

The conflict is heating up.

Write to us with your comments to be considered for publication at letters@reaction.life