The Israeli military confirmed that a targeted rocket attack took place on Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, on Friday.
Security officials said the airstrike targeted Ibrahim Aqil, a member of the Hezbollah terrorist group’s Jihad Council.
“Today, Israel eliminated (Aqil) with a targeted airstrike in Beirut,” the Israeli government posted on social media. “Justice has been done.”
Israel attacks Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after two volleys of explosive devices
Rescue workers carry a body to the scene of a rocket attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Friday, September 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Aqil was wanted by the United States for his alleged role in the bombing of a U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983. He is also linked to the hostage-taking of American soldiers in Lebanon in the 1980s.
A few hours later, Israeli officials released a statement saying that “IAF aircraft carried out a targeted, intelligence-based strike in the Beirut area and eliminated Ibrahim Aqil, the head of Hezbollah’s operations unit and commander of Hezbollah’s elite forces, the Radwan Forces, who was also responsible for Hezbollah’s ‘Conquest of Galilee’ attack plan.”
Hezbollah officials confirmed that the rocket hit a building in the Dahiya district where Aqil was believed to have been staying.
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Israeli forces said they killed senior Hezbollah terrorist Ibrahim Aqil in an attack in Beirut on Friday. (IDF Spokesperson Unit)
“Our goals are clear and our actions speak for themselves,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to Lebanese health authorities, at least nine people were killed and about 60 others injured in the attack. Two residential buildings were razed to the ground by the explosion.
“During the attack, in addition to Aqil, senior members of Hezbollah’s operations staff and commanders of the Radwan unit were eliminated,” the announcement continued. “Ibrahim Aqil and the Radwan commanders eliminated today planned Hezbollah’s ‘Conquest of Galilee’ attack plan, in which Hezbollah intended to infiltrate Israeli communities and murder innocent civilians.”
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People gather at the scene of an Israeli rocket attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Friday, September 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
This is just the latest attack in Israel’s increasingly aggressive campaign against Hezbollah. Yesterday, Israeli forces shelled several infrastructure facilities in southern Lebanon, including the areas of Chihine, Tayibe, Blida, Meiss El Jabal, Aitaroun and Kfarkela.
Earlier this week, Israeli security forces remotely detonated hundreds of electronic devices used by Hezbollah members for communication, killing 12 people and injuring more than 2,800.
