The commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Forces was killed on Friday in an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut, according to a source close to the group speaking to AFP. Israel confirmed it carried out a “precise” strike during the operation.

The source identified the target as Ibrahim Aqil, the commander of the Radwan Elite Forces, whose death represents a significant loss for the organization. Aqil was on Washington’s list of wanted individuals and was described as “the second-ranking military figure in Hezbollah after Fouad Shokr,” who was also killed in an Israeli strike in the southern suburbs on July 30.

The Israeli Army reported that the airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut led to the assassination of several leaders from the operations division of the Radwan Unit, including individuals involved in the plan to occupy the Galilee.

The airstrike reportedly struck near the Qaim-Jamous intersection in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Eyewitnesses reported multiple violent strikes during the raid. The Israeli military confirmed it conducted a “targeted operation” in the area, which involved four missiles fired from an F-35 fighter jet, targeting a building in the Jamous area.

The National News Agency’s correspondent reported that the airstrike hit an apartment in a residential building in Jamous during peak hours, resulting in several casualties. Later, official Lebanese sources confirmed that the airstrike resulted in the complete destruction of two buildings in the neighbourhood.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health reports that at least 12 individuals have died, 15 are missing, and 66 others have been injured, with the death toll likely to change as the situation unfolds.

Ambulances from the Red Cross and civil defense fire trucks rushed to the scene, working to transport the injured amid a tight military cordon.

 

 

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