Hezbollah had also previously announced the killing of leader Ibrahim Aqil in the Israeli strike, which killed 14 people according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, which said the number was likely to increase as rescue teams worked throughout the night.
Hezbollah mentioned in a statement information related to Wahbi and the positions he held until his death on Friday:
– Born in South Lebanon in 1964.
He joined the party since its establishment and participated in many military operations during Israel’s control of southern Lebanon.
– He was captured by Israel in 1984.
– He held many leadership responsibilities in the Central Training Unit until 2007.
– He assumed responsibility for training in the Radwan Force until 2012.
He was one of the main leaders in confronting the attacks on Lebanon’s eastern borders, and in various Syrian provinces.
– He led the operations of the Radwan military force from the beginning of the battle between Hamas and Israel on October 7 until early 2024.
– He returned to assume responsibility for supervising the Central Training Unit after the killing of Wissam Al-Tawil.
In a brief statement carried by Israeli media, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s goals are clear and its actions speak for themselves.
On the other hand, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said on the X platform: “The sequence of measures will continue in the new stage until we achieve our goal, which is the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes.”
This is the second time in less than two months that Israel has targeted a senior Hezbollah military leader in Beirut. In July, an airstrike killed the group’s military commander, Fouad Shukr.
The raid that killed Aqeel and Wahbi was a fresh blow to Hezbollah, two days after the group was attacked by bombing the pagers and walkie-talkies used by its members, killing 37 and wounding many more.
It is widely believed that Israel carried out the attacks, although it has neither denied nor confirmed its involvement.
UN warnings
The attack on Friday in a densely populated area of Beirut’s southern suburbs is an extension of “a very dangerous cycle of violence that will have devastating consequences. It must stop immediately,” said Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo also warned the Security Council on Friday that if violence between Israel on the one hand and Hamas and Hezbollah on the other continues, “we risk seeing a conflagration that would dwarf the destruction and suffering we have seen so far.”
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