Hezbollah on Friday confirmed the death of its senior commander Ibrahim Aqil, though no specifics were given regarding the circumstances of his death. Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said Aqil was killed during a large-scale strike in Beirut, which resulted in 14 deaths and 66 injuries, with nine in critical condition, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
Summary:
-
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah confirmed on Friday that its senior military commander, Ibrahim Aqil, had been killed, describing him as “one of its top leaders” but providing no further details on his death.
-
The Israeli military stated that Aqil, along with other senior commanders of Hezbollah‘s Radwan special forces, was killed in an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs earlier on Friday.
-
The strike, targeting a Hezbollah stronghold, left 14 dead and 66 injured, according to Lebanon‘s health ministry.
-
Hezbollah responded by firing around 140 rockets into northern Israel in three waves, according to the Israeli military, claiming to target multiple sites along Lebanon’s southern border.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP, Reuters)
Read more on FRANCE 24 English
Read also:
Israel says it killed Hezbollah commander in Beirut strike
Taiwan questions two in probe into Lebanon pager attack
What we know about Lebanon’s exploding devices