Israeli Airstrike Kills Top Hezbollah Commanders In Beirut

An Israeli airstrike on a residential area of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, has killed two top Hezbollah military commanders and other senior officials, in a major escalation that has added to fears of an all-out war.

Hezbollah, the powerful Iranian-backed militia and political group, confirmed the death of Ibrahim Aqil, a senior commander in the group’s elite Radwan forces.

The group also confirmed that Ahmed Wahbi, himself a top Radwan figure, died in the attack that hit the densely populated Dahieh area – a stronghold of the group.

Senior UN official Rosemary DiCarlo warned that the Middle East was at risk of a conflict that could “dwarf” the devastation witnessed in the region so far.

Friday’s attack was another major blow for Hezbollah and the first airstrike to hit Beirut since July, when Fuad Shukr, a right-hand man to leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed.

It happened just days after a wave of explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies used by the group that killed dozens, wounded thousands more and caused panic in a country already exhausted by almost one year of conflict.

Israel is widely believed to have been behind the attack, but has made no comment.

In Beirut, there were chaotic scenes as emergency teams rushed to the site of the attack on Friday, rescuing the wounded and searching for people believed to be trapped under the rubble.

At least one residential building collapsed and others were heavily damaged. Streets were closed by Hezbollah members, some looking incredulous.

The Lebanese health ministry said at least 31 people were killed in the attack – including three children and seven women – with dozens more wounded.

In a statement, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said Aqil, a senior commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces, was killed alongside senior operatives in the group’s operations staff and other Radwan commanders.

Hagari said they “were gathered underground under a residential building in the heart of the Dahiyah neighbourhood [in southern Beirut], hiding among Lebanese civilians, using them as human shields”.

The IDF spokesman added that the individuals killed were “planning Hezbollah’s ‘Conquer the Galilee’ attack plan, in which Hezbollah intended to infiltrate Israeli communities and murder innocent civilians”.

The plan was first reported by the Israeli military in 2018, when the IDF said it was blocking tunnels dug by Hezbollah to penetrate Israeli territory and kidnap and murder civilians.

In April, Washington said it was searching for Aqil, also known as Tahsin, and offered financial rewards to anyone with “information leading to his identification, location, arrest and/or conviction”.

He was wanted by the US because of his links and seniority within Hezbollah, a group that has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the UK, US and other countries.

In the 1980s, Aqil was a member of the group that orchestrated the bombings of the US embassy in Beirut and a marine barracks, killing hundreds of people.

Confirming Aqil’s death in a post on social media, Hezbollah described him as one of its “great jihadist leaders”.

The group was established in the early 1980s by the region’s most dominant Shia power, Iran, to oppose Israel. At the time, Israel’s forces had occupied southern Lebanon during the country’s civil war.

On Saturday, Hezbollah said the second commander to be killed, Wahbi, had “participated in many operations” since the 1980s.

It said Wahbi, 60, held many roles within Hezbollah including “assuming responsibility” for the militant group’s elite Radwan force until early 2024.