Ibrahim Aqil, a senior Hezbollah leader and head of the elite Al-Radwan force, was killed in an Israeli air strike on the southern outskirts of Beirut. Aqil, also known by his nom de guerre Tahsin (Tahseen), had been wanted by the United States for years for his role in the 1983 bombing of a Marine barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 American soldiers, and for his involvement in the kidnapping of Western hostages in the 1980s. The US government had a $7 million bounty on his head.
According to a source close to Hezbollah, the strike targeted a building in the Jamus area, on the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital. The death toll, announced by the Lebanese Ministry of Health, rose to eight dead and 59 wounded, including several civilians. Five children were among the victims, as reported by the Lebanese Ministry of Information.
Images released by Lebanese media showed the crater left by the explosion and the rubble of the destroyed building. The scene was described as heartbreaking, with screams, cries and people desperately searching for survivors among the ruins. In the background, the sirens of ambulances could be heard racing to help the injured.
The Times of Israel confirmed the raid, noting that Aqil was a member of the Jihad Council, Hezbollah’s top military body, involved in numerous military operations, including in Syria. The United States had classified him as a “terrorist” already in 2015, in connection with international terrorist activities.
The Israeli military, in a brief statement, confirmed that it had conducted a “targeted raid” on the city, but said that there were no immediate changes to security guidelines for Israeli civilians.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah continue to grow, with the risk of a new escalation of violence.
