BEIRUT: Lebanese officials reported that an attack on Friday in the nation’s capital left 12 people dead and numerous others injured. Israel claimed to have killed the head of an elite Hezbollah unit.
Among those reported dead in the strike was Ibrahim Aqil, who was also wanted by the US for his role in the 1983 bombing of the US embassy in Beirut.
Reporters on the site reported that the explosion destroyed a high-rise building’s bottom floors and created a big crater in the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital.
Since the commencement of the assault on Gaza, Israel has targeted two prominent Hezbollah commanders, the first being Fuad Shukr, who was killed in a strike in Beirut in July, and the second being Aqil.
It also followed two waves of explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday of Hezbollah members’ communication devices, which the organization claimed on Israel and resulted in thousands of injuries and hundreds of deaths.
On Friday, the Israeli military claimed to have carried out a “targeted strike” that claimed the lives of Aqil and about ten other senior commanders.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, the attack left 66 people injured and 12 dead.
Aqil was killed by the hit, according to a Hezbollah-affiliated individual who had claimed to be speaking anonymously to discuss personal problems.
Although Hezbollah has not formally acknowledged his passing, it did claim during the attack that it had fired rockets at an Israeli spy base, which it said was the source of the “assassinations.”
A $7 million reward had been offered by the US for information on Aqil, who was described as a “principal member” of the group that claimed responsibility for the 63-person embassy bombing in 1983.
Since October 7, there has been fighting between Israeli troops and Hezbollah members at the Israel-Lebanon border.
For almost a year, Israel’s firepower was concentrated on Gaza; however, the war’s focus has recently drastically changed to Israel’s northern border.
Due to almost daily border battles, hundreds of people—mostly fighters—have died in Lebanon and dozens in Israel, forcing thousands more on both sides to abandon their homes.
Hezbollah has accused Israel of being behind an unprecedented onslaught that struck it on Tuesday and Wednesday; however, Israel has not yet responded.
Over the course of two days, thousands of Hezbollah operatives’ communication devices exploded, resulting in 37 fatalities and thousands of injuries.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, promised Israel on Thursday that Israel will pay a price for the explosions.
Israel said earlier on Friday that Hezbollah had launched numerous rockets from Lebanon as a result of airstrikes that damaged numerous launchers used by the terrorist organization.
“Apprehension of a wider war”
The nighttime shelling in Marjayoun, a border town in Lebanon, was reportedly among the worst since the border battles started in October, according to locals.
Nuha Abdo, 62, stated, “We were very scared, especially for my grandchildren.”
“We were transferring them between rooms.” Elie Rmeih, a 45-year-old owner of a clothing company, tallied more than 50 strikes.
The scene was horrifying and uncanny compared to anything we had seen since the escalation started.
“We fear a wider war, but you’re not sure where to turn.”
demands moderation
International peacekeepers have been working feverishly to prevent the Gaza war from degenerating into a full-scale regional war.
All parties should exercise patience, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged. Blinken has attempted to salvage attempts for a Gaza truce and hostage release agreement.
“We do not wish to witness any intensifying measures by any faction” that could jeopardize the objective of a truce in Gaza, he declared.
During his sixth call with his Israeli colleague in less than a week, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed further alarm on Friday about the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah and urged a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
In his remarks, Austin emphasized diplomacy following Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s discussion of a new era of warfare.
Austin reaffirmed to Gallant “his concern over the current escalation of exchanges between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah,” according to a statement released by the Pentagon.
That wording was exactly the same as one released on Thursday following another conversation between Austin and Gallant by Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder.
