An Israeli airstrike on a residential area in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, has killed two top Hezbollah military commanders along with other senior officials, marking a significant escalation and fueling fears of a full-scale war.
Hezbollah, the powerful militia and political group backed by Iran, confirmed the death of Ibrahim Aqil, a senior commander in its elite Radwan forces.
The group also reported that Ahmed Wahbi, another top Radwan figure, was killed in the strike on the densely populated Dahieh area, a Hezbollah stronghold.
Rosemary DiCarlo, a senior UN official, warned that the Middle East faces the threat of a conflict that could “dwarf” the destruction seen in the region so far.
Friday’s airstrike delivered another significant blow to Hezbollah, marking the first attack on Beirut since July, when Fuad Shukr, a close aide to leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed.
The strike came just days after a series of explosions involving pagers and walkie-talkies used by the group, which resulted in dozens of deaths, thousands of injuries, and widespread panic in a country already strained by nearly a year of conflict.
Though Israel is widely suspected to be responsible for the attack, it has yet to issue any statement.
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In Beirut, chaotic scenes unfolded as emergency teams hurried to the site, rescuing the injured and searching for those trapped under the rubble. At least one residential building collapsed, while others sustained heavy damage. Streets were cordoned off by Hezbollah members, some visibly shocked.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, at least 31 people were killed, 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”.
Source: BBC, OTHER MEDIA
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