Aftermath of IDF strike in Dahieh
An Israeli official said Friday that the strike in Beirut targeting Hezbollah head of operations Ibrahim Aqil signals a “new phase in the war.”
The official said that Israel will continue to target Hezbollah and is prepared for a response. “Everything is on the table,” the source added.
Israel assesses that Hezbollah will not overlook the strike and the reported assassination of Aqil. “There are no red lines in this new phase,” another official said. “We will keep hitting Hezbollah until the war’s objective is achieved: the safe return of northern residents to their homes. We understand the potential costs.”
Lebanese media reported that at least three people were killed and several others were injured in the attack on the Dahieh district. The IDF confirmed that Aqil, Hezbollah’s head of operations, was targeted in the strike. A Hezbollah source told AFP that Aqil was killed.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the attack, saying that it “proves once again that the Israeli enemy disregards humanitarian and moral considerations.”
The U.S. quickly denied any involvement or prior knowledge of the Israeli strike, reiterating its stance that war is not inevitable and that diplomacy remains the best path to de-escalation. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby emphasized that the U.S. is doing everything possible to prevent a regional war.
Ibrahim Aqil, the target of the strike, was a senior member of Hezbollah’s Jihad Council and served as the group’s head of operations. Designated a terrorist by the U.S. in 2015, he was linked to numerous global terror attacks, including Hezbollah’s military operations in Syria.
Last year, the White House offered a $7 million reward for information on Aqil, one of the masterminds behind the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut that killed 63 people.
He was also involved in the attack on a U.S. Marine Corps base later that year, which killed 241 military personnel. Aqil was seen as a potential successor to Hezbollah’s military chief Fuad Shukr, who was assassinated in July in Beirut. Aqil had survived several assassination attempts, including one in 2000 when Israeli helicopters fired missiles at his car, leaving him slightly injured.