Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli attack on Beirut, IDF confirms | World News

A top Hezbollah commander was killed in an Israeli strike on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday, the Israeli military confirmed.

Ibrahim Aqil, Hezbollah’s operational commander, was killed in an attack that killed three people and wounded 17 others, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed that they have killed Aqil and other senior commanders of Hezbollah’s Radwan special forces unit.

“The IDF will continue to weaken Hezbollah’s capabilities, attack it and operate on all fronts to protect the citizens of Israel,” the statement said.

According to the Lebanese National News Agency, what Israel earlier today called a “targeted” attack also killed five children.

Follow the latest news:
Updates on airstrikes in Lebanon

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up to date with the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Click here

According to Sky News special reporter Alex Crawford, it appeared the attack had hit an apartment building.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Friday’s attack showed that Israel “does not value humanitarian, legal or moral considerations”.

This comes as fighting between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel has intensified in recent days after 37 people were killed when pagers and radios exploded across Lebanon in two separate attacks.

The attack was widely believed to have been carried out by Israel. However, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

Aqil was head of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force and Jihad Council, the group’s top military body.

The US State Department has imposed sanctions on him over his alleged role in the 1983 bombing of the US embassy in Beirut, which killed 63 people.

A reward of $7 million (£5.3 million) was offered for information about Aqil.

According to the US, he was the “key member” of the group that bombed the US embassy in 1983 and the US Marine barracks that same year, killing 241 American servicemen.

Aqil’s death marks the second time in less than two months that Israel has attacked a senior Hezbollah commander.

An Israeli airstrike took place in July murdered Fuad Shukr, the militant group’s top military commander.

Israel’s rare attack on the capital’s southern suburbs came after Iran-backed Hezbollah bombarded Israel with 140 rockets, the Israeli military said, fired in three waves, targeting locations along the devastated border with Lebanon.

After the attacks, the Israeli military said it had struck areas in southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. No details were released about the damage.

Hezbollah said the strikes targeted several locations along the border with Katyusha rockets, including several air defense bases and the headquarters of an Israeli armored brigade that it said it had attacked for the first time.

The developments of the past few days have led to serious concerns about an all-out war in the region, including Israel. an 11-month war with Hamasanother militant group backed by Iran, in Gaza.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 41,000 people have been killed since the outbreak of war, following the Hamas massacre of 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7.