image source, Reuters
Comment on the picture, The site of an Israeli attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut on September 20, 2024
Last updated 18 minutes ago
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said at least nine people were killed and 59 others were wounded, some of them in critical condition, in the initial toll of an Israeli air strike that targeted a residential area in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Strong explosions were heard in the Lebanese capital as a result of what were said to be missiles fired by an Israeli march, and a thick cloud of smoke was seen rising above the capital.
The National News Agency said that an F35 warplane launched an attack on an apartment in the Al-Jamous area in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
At the same time, the Civil Defense Authority said in a statement that “its special search and rescue teams are going from several centers to the site of the collapse of the two residential buildings in the Al-Jamous area, in the southern bank Beirut, as a result. Israeli attack.”
For its part, Agence France-Presse announced a source close to Hezbollah that the Israeli attack was aimed at the head of the party’s force Radwan.
The source close to the party said, “The Israeli attack targeted the commander of Radwan’s unit, Ibrahim Aqeel,” which led to his death in a raid in the southern suburbs on July 30.
image source, Reuters
Reuters also confirmed, citing two security sources, that Ibrahim Aqeel was killed in an Israeli attack, and one of the sources said that Aqeel was killed along with members of Radwan’s unit while they were holding a meeting.
Hezbollah has not yet officially confirmed Aqeel’s death.
An Israeli army spokesman said the army launched a “detailed attack” in an area of Beirut, without giving further details.
At the same time, the White House said that Washington is making diplomatic efforts to prevent the conflict on the border between Israel and Lebanon.
White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said he was not aware of any Israeli notification to the United States before its raids in Beirut on Friday, adding that the Americans strongly urged on those in the country without traveling to Lebanon or leaving.
Iran’s embassy in Lebanon condemned what it described as “Israeli madness that crossed all borders.”
Play video, “The first moments after the Israeli attack targeted the south bank of Beirut,” length 0.4300:43
Comment on the video, The first moments after the Israeli attack were aimed at the south bank of Beirut
Who is Ibrahim Aqeel?
Ibrahim Aqeel, also known as Tahseen, serves on the Jihad Council, Hezbollah’s highest military body.
In the 1980s, Aqeel was a key member of the Islamic Jihad group Hezbollah, which claimed responsibility for the April 1983 bombing of the US embassy in Beirut, which killed 63 people, and the October 1983 US Marine barracks attack, which killed 241. American Embassy. cadre
In the 1980s, Akil ordered American and German hostages to be taken to Lebanon and held them there.
On July 21, 2015, the US Treasury Department designated Aqeel as a terrorist under Executive Order 13582 for working for or on behalf of Hezbollah.
Subsequently, on September 10, 2019, the US State Department designated Akil as a designated global terrorist under Executive Order 13224, as amended.
escalation between Hezbollah and Israel
image source, Reuters
Comment on the picture, Efforts to extinguish the fire following a missile attack by Lebanon’s Hezbollah in the occupied Golan Heights on September 20, 2024.
The party announced that they targeted the headquarters of the Air Control and Operations Unit in the northern region of Israel, which is responsible for the massacre at the Mishar base, with Katyusha rockets.
Earlier, Israel said Hezbollah fired more than 100 missiles from Lebanon on Friday, after Israeli airstrikes on Thursday night destroyed dozens of launch pads.
An Israeli army spokesman said Hezbollah “fired about 140 missiles from Lebanon within an hour,” starting around 1:00 pm (10:00 GMT).
Hezbollah said it targeted at least six Israeli military bases with a barrage of rocket fire in response to what people in southern Lebanon said was one of the heaviest yet.
He explained in successive statements that he targeted a position for Israeli soldiers at the site of Metulla with a guided missile and hit it directly.
Hezbollah targeted air defense missile installations in Berea, Kela, Al-Alika, and Yoav Werdan barracks, as well as the headquarters of the 210th Golan Division in Nafah Basaliyat, and the new headquarters of the 91st Division in Ayelet Hashahar, with Katyusha rockets. , according to the data.
The Israeli army advised residents of the north to stay near shelters.
Brigadier General Amir Avivi, head of the Israel Defense and Security Forum, told the BBC that Lebanon is part of the threat Israel faces.
He told the BBC that Israel had to evacuate “sixty thousand Israelis from their cities and their homes and send them to hotels, and Lebanon and Hezbollah have destroyed the homes and cities of these people.” The two issues cannot be separated from each other. “
The intense clashes come as the United Nations Security Council prepares to discuss this week’s bombings targeting Hezbollah militants and radio stations, which killed 37 people and injured thousands, including civilians, over two days.
#Dead #wounded #Israeli #attack #Beiruts #southern #suburbs #Hezbollah #leader #reportedly #targeted #BBC #News #Arabic
2024-09-20 14:37:30
