Ibrahim Aqil is dead, said army spokesman Daniel Hagari on Friday. According to the report, ten other members of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit were killed in the attack. Previously, a total of eight deaths had been reported. As a founding member of the Shiite organization, Aqil was particularly active in the military wing.
- Video: Lebanon: Israel bombs Hezbollah targets
According to media reports, he was a military commander of Hezbollah. He was the successor to Fuad Shukr, who was also killed by Israel on July 30. The USA wanted him with a bounty of seven million dollars. The members of the radical Islamic Hezbollah were holding a meeting when the attack occurred, said a person familiar with the matter. 59 other people were injured, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said.
Israel had already tried to eliminate Aqil in the early 1990s. According to information from Beirut, Aqil was only released from hospital on Friday after being injured in an attack on Hezbollah’s technical equipment. This attack is also attributed to Israel.
Photo gallery: Israeli attack in Beirut
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Attack “resembles genocide”
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati strongly condemned the attack. Israel “does not value humanitarian, legal or moral values,” he said. Instead, the Israeli government is moving forward with something “that resembles genocide.” Mikati called on the international community to take a clear stand against Israel’s “horrific massacres.”
Hezbollah, meanwhile, said it attacked seven Israeli targets. According to Israeli public broadcasting, around 150 rockets were fired at Israel from southern Lebanon. The UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon called for an “immediate de-escalation” in the conflict between Israel and the radical Islamic Hezbollah militia. A massive increase in hostilities across the border can be observed, said UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti.
The UNIFIL force is supposed to keep the peace between Israel and Lebanon. According to information from the Ministry of Defense on Friday, Austria is currently taking part in the UN mission with around 160 soldiers. The headquarters of the peacekeeping force is in Camp Naqoura in the southwest of the country.
Schallenberg “deeply concerned”
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) expressed his “deep concern” on Thursday about the latest developments in Lebanon. “The consequences of further escalation would be devastating for the entire region,” the minister stressed on X in the evening. “The security of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force must be guaranteed at all times!”
Since the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas almost a year ago, the situation in the border region has deteriorated considerably. Israel and the Hezbollah militia exchange fire almost daily. The conflict has escalated in recent days. First, thousands of radio receivers and walkie-talkies exploded in Lebanon on two consecutive days, then Israel carried out several air strikes, including late Thursday evening. According to Lebanese security circles, these were the heaviest air strikes since the start of the Gaza war.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed his trip to the USA, which was planned for next week, by one day due to the tense situation on the border with Lebanon. The Prime Minister will now leave on Wednesday instead of Tuesday, an employee in his office said on Friday. During his stay, Netanyahu is scheduled to give a speech at the annual UN General Debate in New York. He plans to return to Israel on Saturday next week.
“Belief in a diplomatic solution”
Despite recent attacks between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, the US government believes it is possible to avert a war between the two sides. “We still believe there is time and space for a diplomatic solution, and we believe this is the best way forward,” said National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby. A war on the border between Israel and Lebanon is “not inevitable, and we will continue to do everything we can to prevent it.”
Kirby did not elaborate on the recent Israeli attack on Lebanon’s capital Beirut, saying it had only just happened and the Israeli military had to speak for itself about its operations. When asked, he said he was not aware that the US government had been informed about it in advance.
Despite global calls for restraint, Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia continue to attack each other, raising concerns that the fighting could escalate into a full-scale war and a regional conflagration.
“Nobody gives up”
With regard to the war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Kirby said the US government is not giving up hope of reaching an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. This is hard and proving difficult. “But nobody is giving up. (…) We will keep trying.”
Despite the escalation in the conflict with the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, Israel also pushed ahead with its offensive against the Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israeli air and tank attacks were reported from several parts of the coastal area. According to Palestinian officials, at least 14 people were killed. US President Joe Biden says he still believes a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is realistic. “We must not let up,” Biden told journalists. It must also be ensured that the residents of northern Israel and southern Lebanon can return to their villages in safety.
