Israeli raid in Beirut kills top Hezbollah commanders, escalates tensions

As a result of Friday's Israeli air raid on the Lebanese capital Beirut, Ibrahim Akil, the commander of Hezbollah's Radwan special forces, and about 10 other senior group commanders were killed, stated Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.

"Aqil and the eliminated commanders were among the architects of the 'Galilee Conquest Plan,' under which Hezbollah planned, on a given day, to invade Israeli territory, capture Galilean settlements, and murder and kill innocent civilians, similar to what the Hamas terrorist organization carried out in the murderous massacre on October 7," said the military spokesperson.

Rear Admiral Hagari emphasised that the raid aimed to protect the Israeli population and assured that his country does not seek to fuel tensions in the region. The killed commanders were having a meeting at the time of the attack, during which they were discussing actions against Israeli civilians.

"They were underground, in a residential building, in the very center of Dahiyeh (a southern suburb of Beirut considered a Hezbollah stronghold - editor's note), using civilians as human shields," added Hagari.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, 12 people died in the attack, and 66 were injured. Civil defence reported that Israeli missiles hit two buildings. Rescuers are still searching for people under the rubble.

Ibrahim Akil had been active in Hezbollah since the 1980s and was responsible for terrorist activities outside Lebanon, participating in many attacks in various countries, which also harmed civilians - the Israeli military stated in a communiqué. The killed commander was also wanted by the United States for his involvement in the bombings of barracks in Beirut in 1983, in which 241 American and 58 French soldiers died. The United States had offered a £5.8 million reward for his capture.

"The sequence of actions in the new phase will continue until our goal is achieved: the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes," stated Defence Minister Yoav Gallant after the Friday attack.

In recent days, there has been a further escalation on the Israel-Hezbollah line, raising fears of full-scale war. Supported by Iran, Hezbollah has regularly shelled northern Israel since the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip, which has been met with counterattacks. Mutual actions have led to the evacuation of over 100,000 civilians from both sides of the border.

On Monday, the Israeli government declared stopping Hezbollah attacks on the north of the country and enabling the return of tens of thousands of evacuees as the official war goal. On Wednesday, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stated that Israel is entering a "new phase of the war" and focusing its forces in the north of the country.

Rear Admiral Hagari informed that Hezbollah launched about 200 rockets at Israel on Friday. Some were intercepted, and there were no reports of casualties. On Thursday, the Israeli army announced that in air raids on Lebanon, it destroyed over 100 rocket launchers ready for immediate attack.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, two waves of coordinated explosions of electronic devices targeting Hezbollah swept through Lebanon. At least 37 people were killed, and around 3,000 were injured. Israel did not comment on this operation, but according to Western media, its services organised the attack. Hezbollah vowed revenge on Israel.