A top Hezbollah commander was killed in an Israeli attack in Beirut on Friday. Hezbollah operations commander Ibrahim Aqeel was killed in an airstrike during a meeting in a 10-story building in Al-Jamous neighborhood on the outskirts of Beirut. At that time, the elite Radwan unit of Hezbollah was meeting. Another 16 people were killed and 66 injured in the attack.
Many rushed to the spot after the attack. Many families were searching for their children and relatives.
Sources said Aqeel and his colleagues were meeting in an underground room. Even after four hours of the attack, the rescue workers could not recover their bodies.
A witness told Arab News that the building had completely collapsed in the attack, making it difficult to estimate the number of people inside. It was a residential building.
According to Israeli media reports, Aqeel was a ‘prominent Hezbollah member. He used to direct the war in South Lebanon.’
The US State Department had previously announced a $7 million reward for information about him. The United States named him a member of the Jihad Council, responsible for the 1983 attacks on the US embassy and Marine barracks.
Israel says the attack was carried out ‘perfectly’ to kill a senior Hezbollah official.
The place is near Al-Qayyim Mosque. It is regarded as the mosque of Hezbollah. And the area is considered as their security zone.
It was Israel’s third major attack in southern Lebanon. A month ago they killed Hezbollah military officer Fouad Shukar. Earlier in January, they killed Hamas leader Saleh al-Arori.