Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut

People and first responders gather at the scene of an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs on Sept. 20, 2024.

Israel said Friday that it killed the commander of Hezbollah's elite unit in a strike that Lebanese officials said left 14 dead and dozens wounded in the movement's Beirut stronghold.

Ibrahim Aqil, who was wanted by the United States for involvement in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut, headed the Iran-backed militant group's elite Radwan Force.

Hezbollah confirmed late Friday that Aqil had been killed by Israeli fire, hailing him as "one of its great leaders".

Aqil's killing was the second of a senior Hezbollah commander since the start of the war in Gaza. An Israeli strike on Beirut in July killed Fuad Shukr, a top operations chief for the movement.

It also followed two waves of explosions, on Tuesday and Wednesday, of communication devices used by Hezbollah members, which Hezbollah blamed on Israel.

Those blasts killed dozens and left Hezbollah reeling while shifting the focus of the Israel-Hamas war northward.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the body was "very concerned about the heightened escalation" and called for "maximum restraint" from all sides.

The Israeli military said it conducted a "targeted strike" against Aqil, which also killed around 10 other senior Radwan commanders.

A source close to Hezbollah said Aqil was "at a meeting with commanders" when he was killed.

Lebanon's health ministry said that the attack killed at least 14 people and wounded 66 more, and that it expected more bodies to be found.

The United States had offered a $7 million reward for information on Aqil, describing him as a ...