Israel kills Hezbollah commander carrying $7 million bounty in airstrike

Israel announced on Friday (September 20) that it killed a senior Hezbollah commander, Ibrahim Aqil, in a precision airstrike on a building in Beirut.

The airstrike, which destroyed a high-rise building in south Beirut, Hezbollah’s stronghold, killed at least 14 people, including 10 senior operatives. They had gathered for a meeting of senior commanders.

Hezbollah confirmed Aqil’s death, and called him a “great jihadist leader”.

Aqil was involved in 1983 US Embassy bombings

The United States had placed a $7 million bounty on Aqil for his role in the 1983 bombings of the US Embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut that killed hundreds of Americans.

He was also held responsible for the kidnapping of several US and European hostages in the 1980s.

Israeli military officials said Aqil was killed when he was in a meeting to plan attacks against Israel, including an invasion of northern territories in Israel. They called the meeting as part of Hezbollah’s “Conquer the Galilee” plan, which was intended to infiltrate Israeli communities.

Major blow for Hezbollah

Coming on the heels of the pager and walkie-talkie explosions that killed about 37 of its members and injured almost 3,000, this latest assassination by Israel is a major blow to Hezbollah as it considered Aqil as one of its key leaders. The group lost another senior commander Fuad Shukr, just weeks ago to a similar airstrike by Israel.

Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the attack as a violation of international law. An Israeli military spokesman however said the operation was necessary for its national security.

In retaliation for Aqil’s death, Hezbollah fired tens of rockets against Israeli military positions.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said the airstrike killed 14 people and wounded 66, and they expected the number of deaths to increase.