Israel hits Beirut with strike targeting top Hezbollah commander

Israel carried out a “targeted strike” on the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday. 

The airstrike, confirmed by the Israel Defense Forces, came shortly after the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah launched 140 rockets at northern Israel the same day. 

Israeli media reports that the target of the attack was Ibrahim Aqil, a senior member of Hezbollah’s top military body, the Jihad Council, and commander of the militant group’s special operations unit. It is not clear whether Aqil has been killed.

The IDF did not provide further details about Friday’s airstrike, and there is no confirmation of what was hit in the attack. 

Friday’s reports signal further escalation in the Middle East between Israel and Hezbollah militants after a week of explosive events, including numerous Israeli air strikes over Lebanon, the explosion of pagers and other communications devices used by Hezbollah members, and a retaliatory speech by the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah. 

Three people were killed and 17 injured in the strike, the Lebanese health ministry said.

According to the BBC, smoke is rising over the southern suburb of Beirut, Dahiyeh, and first images from the scene show widespread damage, with buildings and cars partially destroyed.