The Israeli army confirmed on Friday (20) the death of Hezbollah operations chief Ibrahim Aqil, as well as other members of its elite Radwan forces, in the bombing it launched against the southern suburbs of Beirut.
“Under the precise direction of the Intelligence Division, Air Force fighter jets attacked the Beirut area and killed Ibrahim Aqil, the chief of operations of the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” a military statement said, referring to other victims of the Shiite terrorist organization without specifying them.
Ibrahim Aqil, better known as Tahsin, is a member of the Jihad Council, Hezbollah’s main military body, and was wanted by the United States, whose government offered a $7 million reward last year for information on his whereabouts.
Aqil was one of the members of the cell that claimed responsibility for the 1983 bombing of a US Marine barracks in Beirut, in which 241 soldiers died. He is also accused of directing the kidnapping of American and German citizens in Lebanon in the 1980s.
As tensions mount over a possible escalation, the Israeli army confirmed a meeting on Friday between Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, the head of the Northern Command and the commanders of the various military divisions responsible for the Lebanese front.
This is the third Israeli strike on Dahye since the crossfire between Hezbollah and Tel Aviv began almost a year ago. The previous two killed, respectively, Hamas’s second-in-command political officer, Saleh al-Arouri, in January; and Hezbollah’s top military commander, Fuad Shukr, in late July.
Israel detects Hezbollah launch of about 170 rockets in several bursts
The Israeli army detected on Friday at least 170 rockets launched by Hezbollah towards Israeli territory, while these attacks are expected to increase in the coming hours after the bombing against the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of the Shiite militia.
In a fourth volley, the Israeli army reported launching about 20 rockets, “at least half of which were shot down by air defenses.” According to Israeli media, one of them landed on Highway 90 in the north of the country, causing no injuries.
Hours earlier, the Israeli army had reported a third volley also consisting of 20 projectiles, preceded by the multiple launch of another 70 and 60 rockets since early morning, totaling 170 projectiles in a day of increasing intensity on the border.
According to a military statement, many of the rockets were intercepted in the air or fell in open spaces, causing some fires.
As a result of the crossfire that Israel and Hezbollah have maintained since the beginning of October, parallel to the war in the Gaza Strip, some 60,000 Israelis remain evacuated from communities close to the dividing line.
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