“We kill Hezbollah leaders ( Ibrahim Aqil) in Beirut including a top commander”: Israeli Army

On Friday, the Israeli military conducted an airstrike targeting the densely populated Al-Kaem area of Al-Jamous in Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing at least nine.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that the attack resulted in nine fatalities and injured 59 others. The Lebanese Civil Defense confirmed that two buildings collapsed in the assault.

Israeli media outlets indicated that the strike was targeting Ibrahim Aqil, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Special Operations Department and a key member of the group’s Jihad Council. This council was previously led by Fuad Shukur, who was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike last July.

Reports suggest the airstrike occurred during a meeting of Hezbollah’s Al-Radwan leaders and officials responsible for the Galilee area.

A Lebanese security source told Al-Jazeera that the Israeli attack targeted security and military officials within Hezbollah including Aqil. Axios also cited sources indicating that Aqil was present at the meeting.

Maariv said that Aqil was injured in the Israeli telecommunication attacks last Tuesday and Wednesday that killed 32 and wounded over 3,400 people in the suburbs of Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley.

Hezbollah’s Continued Operations

Despite the ongoing Israeli escalation, Sayyed Nasrallah reaffirmed in a Thursday speech that the group’s operations against Israel would persist until a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza.

Israeli Channel 13 reported that more than 200 rockets have been launched from Lebanon since the morning, coinciding with the Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburb.

According to statements from Hezbollah, the group has targeted Israeli military positions, including bombings of the air control unit and air operations department at the Meron base, as well as strikes on the Northern Corps headquarters at the Ein Zeitim military base and the main intelligence headquarters at the Mishar base.