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CHRISTIAN BREAKING NEWS: Who ‘was’ Ibrahim Aqil? Top Hezbollah Commander among 14 Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Beirut, Lebanon [#IbrahimAqil]

Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and other prominent figures in the Lebanese movement in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday, pledging to launch a fresh military campaign until it can secure the area near the Lebanese border.

The Israeli military and a security source in Lebanon said Ibrahim Aqil was killed in the airstrike, along with other senior members of an elite Hezbollah unit, escalating Israel’s year-long battle with the Iran-backed group.

Hezbollah confirmed Aqil’s death in a statement issued just after midnight, referring to him as “one of its top leaders,” but not providing any specifics about how he died.

Aqil was assassinated in Beirut’s southern suburbs of Dahiyeh in what Hezbollah described as a “treacherous Israeli assassination” in a second statement issued later.

It stated that Ahmed Wahbi, a commander who directed the Radwan special forces’ combat operations during the Gaza conflict until early 2024, was also killed in the Israeli strike.

According to Lebanon’s health ministry, at least 14 people were killed in the strike, and the death toll is anticipated to rise as rescue teams labor through the night.

The ministry did not say if the toll included Aqil or any other Hezbollah commanders.

Earlier, the ministry reported that at least 66 individuals were hurt, 9 of them were in critical condition.

A second security source stated that at least 6 other Hezbollah commanders were killed when multiple missiles slammed into the entryway of a building’s garage.

The explosion ripped through the building’s lower levels, where Aqil met other commanders.

In a brief statement released by Israeli media, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel’s goals were clear and its actions spoke for themselves.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who said this week that Israel is initiating a new phase of battle on the northern frontier, 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 thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border since Hezbollah began rocketing Israel in October in support of Palestinians in Israel’s nearly year-long war against Hamas in Gaza.

Israel, which last fought an all-out war with Hezbollah 18 years ago, has stated that it will use force if necessary to allow its residents to return to northern Israel.

The Israeli military identified Aqil as the acting commander of the Radwan special forces unit and claimed to have killed him along with around 10 other senior commanders while they met.

According to Reuters sources in Lebanon, Aqil served on Hezbollah’s highest military council.

The operation dealt another damage to Hezbollah after 2 days of attacks in which pagers and walkie-talkies used by its militants exploded, killing 37 and injuring hundreds.

These assaults were widely assumed to have been carried out by Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

The strike was Israel’s second in less than 2 months against a top Hezbollah military commander in Beirut.

In July, an Israeli airstrike killed the group’s main military commander, Fuad Shukr.

According to the US State Department website, Aqil had a $7 million bounty placed on his head for his involvement in the 1983 deadly bombing of Marines in Lebanon.

According to the Israeli military, Aqil has been the head of Hezbollah operations since 2004 and was in charge of a plan to conduct a raid on northern Israel, similar to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 that sparked the Gaza war.

“The Hezbollah commanders we eliminated today had been planning their ‘October 7th’ on the northern border for years.”

“We reached them, and we will reach anyone who threatens the security of Israel’s citizens.”

– Israel’s army chief General Herzi Halevi

Following the Beirut hit, the Israeli military reported warning sirens in northern Israel, as well as heavy rocket fire in the area.

Hezbollah claimed to have fired Katyusha rockets twice at what it characterized as the key intelligence headquarters in northern Israel, “which is responsible for assassinations”.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby stated that he was unaware of any Israeli notification to the United States prior to the Beirut strike, and that Americans were strongly advised not to travel to Lebanon or to leave if they were already there.

The ongoing warfare between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by the Gaza war, has escalated dramatically this week.

On Thursday night, the Israeli military launched its most intense airstrikes in southern Lebanon since the conflict began over a year ago.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is the worst since they went to war in 2006.

Tens of thousands of people have been forced to abandon their homes on both sides of the border.

While the conflict has mainly been restricted to communities near the border, this week’s escalation has raised concerns that it will spread and worsen.

NEWS SOURCE & LINKS:
Reuters

Who ‘was’ Ibrahim Aqil? TOP HEZBOLLAH COMMANDER AMONG 14 KILLED IN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE BEIRUT LEBANON | Christian Breaking News!