Israel Says 10 Commanders Of Elite Hezbollah Unit Eliminated In Beirut Airstrike

Update(1305ET): The Israeli military has announced its air strike in Beirut Friday afternoon which killed Ibrahim Aqil, the chief of Hezbollah's elite Radwan unit, additionally killed in total some ten commanders of the Shia paramilitary group.

"We targeted those responsible for the daily rocket fire, Ibrahim Aqil along with senior commanders from the Radwan force. About 10 commanders were killed there," Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the IDF, told a media briefing.

Lebanese sources have yet to confirm this, but have instead focused on the mounting civilian casualties. Lebanon has in its latest update said 12 total have been killed, without identifying who they were. Official tallies stand at 66+ wounded. "Removing the rubble is still ongoing until this moment," emergency workers said.

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Update(1240ET): The death toll has continued to grow following the Friday after Israeli aerial strike on a southern suburb of Beirut. Lebanon's Health Ministry says nine people have been killed and at least 59 injured, as emergency crews continue picking though the rubble of a leveled residential building.

Authorities say children are also among the victims in the neighborhood of Dahiyeh, which is densely populated. The Israeli Army says it has killed a top Hezbollah commander, identified as Ibrahim Akil; however, Hezbollah has yet to confirm or deny. He's said to have served as head of the group's elite special forces. The state-run Lebanese National News Agency has said five children are among the dead.

Currently some big claims are coming out of Israeli leadership, though these statements remains unconfirmed on the ground... if true it will be a huge blow to Hezbollah:

The Iranian Embassy in Beirut has meanwhile condemned what it called the "Israeli madness" of targeting residential buildings.

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Many international headlines are claiming that this is not yet 'all-out war' between Israel and Hezbollah, but it is sure looking like a full-fledged war at this point, especially given on Friday Israeli aircraft carried out a major strike on Beirut.

Huge explosions could be seen and heard for miles, in an apparent "targeted strike" on a southern suburb of the capital city. Reports say that senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil was killed in the attack. An official has told AFP he was killed in the strike.

Videos and images from the scene show entire blocks and buildings decimated in the heavily-populated area known as Dahiyeh.

Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV is saying that a drone fired several missiles on the area in a very rare and brazen attack on the capital. But a Lebanese national broadcaster has said it was Israeli Air Force Jets:

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) is reporting that five children are among victims of a strike on a building in the area of Jamous Street, southern Beirut.

The agency added that an F35 jet targeted the residential area with two strikes.

Earlier in the day Friday Hezbollah launched at least 140 rockets on northern Israel, in a steady uptick of attacks since Thursday in the wake of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah's speech vowing not to stop the attacks in the wake of Israeli intelligence's pager attack.

And regional media is reporting further on this major escalation: "It is not the first time that Beirut’s southern suburb is targeted, but images emerging from the scene show a building almost totally destroyed, so it is likely there will be civilian casualties," an Al Jazeera correspondent writes.

In the wake of this new Beirut action, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has said on X the Gaza war and new operations in Lebanon are necessary to bring "the displaced citizens from north and south to their homes, schools, and businesses." Some 80,000 or more have been evacuated from their homes since Oct. 2023.

The scene below suggests the attack was carried out by several missiles, likely launched from a jet which can carry heavier munitions.

"I repeat again and again – we did not want this war. We do not want war – not today, not ever," President Herzog wrote further. "Last night, we saw the precise and impressive actions of Israel’s Air Force against Hezbollah. We salute them, along with all our security forces, for their tremendous efforts in this difficult war," he added.

Aqil has also long been wanted by the United States:

developing...

via zer0hedge