Deadly Blows: Israel's Airstrike in Beirut

The streets of southern Beirut were in chaos as the sounds of explosions and ambulances filled the air. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had launched a surprise airstrike on Hezbollah's stronghold in the Dahiyeh neighborhood, killing at least 31 people, including a high-ranking commander, Ibrahim Aqil. Aqil was a key figure in the Radwan Force, an elite unit of Hezbollah, and had a $7 million bounty on his head from the United States. According to the IDF, the targeted commanders were hiding in a residential building, using civilians as human shields. Hezbollah confirmed Aqil's death, calling the attack a "treacherous Israeli assassination operation. " The militant group had been hit hard in recent days, with a week of surprise attacks on Beirut and other sites across the country. The airstrike was the deadliest strike between Israel and Lebanon since the October 7 attacks. The Lebanese health minister, Firass Abiad, reported that among the dead were three children and seven women, as well as three Syrian citizens. The attack left 68 people wounded and rescue teams were still clearing the rubble, searching for missing people and retrieving body parts that were unidentifiable.