Israel’s army kills a high-ranking Hezbollah officer in a “targeted” air strike in Beirut. Apparently many other people were hit: at least 12 dead and 66 injured.
The Israeli army has confirmed that it killed Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil in an attack in Beirut on Friday. Akil, who led Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit, and ten other high-ranking members of the militia were “eliminated,” the Israeli armed forces said. Akil’s death was confirmed by pro-Iranian Hezbollah circles. He was one of the highest-ranking military commanders of the pro-Iranian militia.
Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out the “targeted” attack on Akil in the Lebanese capital. Targeted or not, many people were apparently hit. According to the Lebanese government, at least 12 people were killed and 66 injured. Nine of the injured were in critical condition, it said. Minors are said to be among the victims. Local residents spoke of two explosions. “My whole house shook,” reported one resident. There was panic on the streets.
Hezbollah commander Akil was killed along with members of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit while they were holding a meeting, said a person familiar with the matter. Ibrahim Akil is one of the founding members of Hezbollah and was particularly active in the military wing of the Shiite organization. The USA had put a bounty of seven million dollars (6.27 million euros) on Akil in connection with the attack on the US embassy in Beirut in 1983.
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Akil only released from hospital on Friday
Israel had already tried to eliminate Akil in the early 1990s. Before the targeted killing of Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr by the Israeli army in Beirut in July, Akil was considered the “second highest commander”. According to information from Beirut, Akil was only released from hospital on Friday after he was injured in an attack on Hezbollah’s technical equipment. This attack is also attributed to Israel.
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati strongly condemned the Israeli attack on a target in the southern suburb of Beirut. Israel “does not value humanitarian, legal or moral values,” he said. Instead, the Israeli government is moving forward with something “that resembles genocide.” Mikati called on the international community to take a clear stand against Israel’s “terrible massacres.”
Hezbollah attacks on Israel
Israel’s army had previously reported that it had registered around 200 missiles from Lebanon. Hezbollah announced that it had fired Katyusha rockets at an intelligence base in northern Israel on Friday in response to unspecified “assassination attempts”. The attack was “a response to the Israeli enemy’s attacks” on southern Lebanon.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, hundreds of technical devices exploded simultaneously in several places in Lebanon. Around 3,000 people were injured and at least 37 killed. The majority of the injured are said to be fighters from the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah, which is fighting against Israel from Lebanon. Military and intelligence experts believe that the Israeli army is behind the apparently coordinated attacks. Neither the Israeli government nor the military have commented on the waves of explosions so far.
Note: This article is continuously updated.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
