By Laila Bassam and Maayan Lubell
BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel killed a high Hezbollah commander and different senior figures within the Lebanese motion in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday, vowing to press on with a brand new navy marketing campaign till it is ready to safe the realm across the Lebanese border.
The Israeli navy and a safety supply in Lebanon mentioned Ibrahim Aqil had been killed with different senior members of an elite Hezbollah unit within the airstrike, sharply escalating the year-long battle between Israel and the Iran-backed group.
Hezbollah confirmed Aqil’s demise in an announcement simply after midnight that known as him “one of its top leaders,” with out offering particulars of how he died.
In a later assertion summarising Aqil’s biography, Hezbollah mentioned he was killed in Beirut’s southern suburbs of Dahiyeh in what it known as a “treacherous Israeli assassination”.
Lebanon’s well being ministry mentioned at the very least 14 folks died within the strike and the toll was anticipated to climb as rescue groups labored by way of the night time. It was not instantly recognized whether or not the toll included Aqil and different Hezbollah commanders.
Earlier, the ministry mentioned at the very least 66 folks have been injured, 9 of whom have been in essential situation.
A second safety supply mentioned at the very least six different Hezbollah commanders died when a number of missiles slammed into the opening of a constructing’s storage. The explosion tore into the constructing’s decrease ranges as Aqil met different commanders inside.
Witnesses reported listening to a loud whistling and a number of other consecutive blasts on the time of the strike.
In a quick assertion carried by Israeli media, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned Israel’s objectives have been clear and its actions spoke for themselves.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who mentioned this week that Israel is launching a brand new section of battle on the northern border, posted on X: “The sequence of actions in the new phase will continue until our goal is achieved: the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes.”
Tens of 1000’s of individuals have been evacuated from properties on each side of the Israel-Lebanon border since Hezbollah started rocketing Israel in October in sympathy with Palestinians within the practically year-old Israeli battle in opposition to Hamas in Gaza.
Israel, which final fought an all-out battle in opposition to Hezbollah 18 years in the past, has mentioned it’s going to use drive if mandatory to make sure its residents can return to northern Israel.
The Israeli navy described Aqil because the performing commander of the Radwan particular forces unit, and mentioned it had killed him together with round 10 different senior commanders as they met. Aqil sat on Hezbollah’s high navy council, sources in Lebanon instructed Reuters.
The strike inflicted one other blow on Hezbollah after two days of assaults through which pagers and walkie-talkies utilized by its members exploded, killing 37 folks and wounding 1000’s. These assaults have been broadly believed to have been carried out by Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.
Native broadcasters confirmed teams of individuals gathered close to the location, and reported they have been trying to find lacking folks, most of them youngsters. Drones have been nonetheless flying over Beirut’s southern suburbs hours after the strike.
“We are not afraid, but we want a solution. We cannot continue with the country like this,” mentioned Alain Feghali, a resident of Beirut who spoke to Reuters. “War? I don’t know if it started or not, but nothing is reassuring. It is clear that the two sides will not stop.”
The U.N. Particular Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine-Hennis Plasschaert, mentioned Friday’s strike in a densely populated space of Beirut’s southern suburbs was a part of “an extremely dangerous cycle of violence with devastating consequences. This must stop now.”
The strike marked the second time in lower than two months that Israel has focused a number one Hezbollah navy commander in Beirut. In July, an Israeli airstrike killed Fuad Shukr, the group’s high navy commander.
Aqil had a $7-million bounty on his head from the USA over his hyperlink to the lethal bombing of Marines in Lebanon in 1983, in keeping with the U.S. State Division web site.
The Israeli navy mentioned Aqil had been head of Hezbollah operations since 2004 and was answerable for a plan to launch a raid on northern Israel, much like the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7 that triggered the battle in Gaza.
“The Hezbollah commanders we eliminated today had been planning their ‘October 7th’ on the northern border for years,” Israeli military chief Basic Herzi Halevi mentioned.
“We reached them, and we will reach anyone who threatens the security of Israel’s citizens.”
RUBBLE AND BURNT-OUT CARS
The Israeli navy reported warning sirens in northern Israel following the Beirut strike, and Israeli media reported heavy rocket fireplace there.
Hezbollah mentioned it twice fired Katyusha rockets at what it described as the principle intelligence headquarters in northern Israel “which is responsible for assassinations”.
White Home nationwide safety spokesperson John Kirby (NYSE:) mentioned he was not conscious of any Israeli notification to the USA earlier than the Beirut strike, including People have been strongly urged to not journey to Lebanon, or to go away in the event that they have been there.
Nonetheless he added that, “war is not inevitable … and we’re going to continue to do everything we can to try to prevent it.”
The present battle between Israel and Hezbollah, ignited by the Gaza battle, has intensified considerably this week.
On Thursday night time, the Israeli navy carried out its most intensive airstrikes in southern Lebanon for the reason that battle erupted virtually a 12 months in the past.
The battle between Israel and Hezbollah is the worst since they fought a battle in 2006. Tens of 1000’s of individuals have needed to go away properties on each side of the border.
Whereas the battle has largely been contained to areas at or close to the frontier, this week’s escalation has heightened issues that it may widen and additional intensify.
