An Israeli fighter jet launched a targeted precision strike on a dense residential sector of Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, killing senior Hezbollah military figure Ibrahim Aqil along with other commanders of the militant group's elite Radwan Force. The strike marks one of the most severe escalations in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in nearly two decades.
The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health confirmed that at least 14 people were killed and more than 66 injured, with rescue workers digging through smoking mounds of concrete and twisted rebar after an entire multi-story apartment block collapsed into the street.
Decapitation Strike on Hezbollah's Elite Military Leadership
Ibrahim Aqil, also known by the alias Tahsin, was a veteran commander serving on Hezbollah's highest military body, the Jihad Council. He had been sought by the United States for decades over his alleged involvement in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and the U.S. Marine barracks attack, with Washington offering a $7 million bounty for his capture.
Israel Defense Forces officials stated that Aqil was chairing an underground meeting with senior Radwan Force field commanders in a subterranean room directly below the residential structure. Israeli intelligence claimed the gathering was finalizing tactical plans for a ground incursion into northern Israel modeled after the October 7 attacks.
“We targeted Ibrahim Aqil and senior commanders of Hezbollah's Radwan Force who were gathered underground beneath a residential building, preparing attacks against Israeli civilians.”
Mounting Casualties and Diplomatic Alarm Over Regional Escalation
The airstrike capped a devastating week for Lebanon, coming immediately after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies utilized by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across two days, killing at least 37 individuals and maiming thousands more in an operation widely attributed to Israeli intelligence.
United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert expressed deep alarm, warning that the region teeters on the brink of an uncontrollable catastrophe. Western diplomats in Washington and European capitals urgently appealed for restraint, though both sides signaled readiness for further military engagements.
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