The IDF conducted a targeted strike in Beirut, the military announced on Friday afternoon. Media reports named the primary target of the strike as Radwan Force commander and head of Hezbollah Operations, Ibrahim Aqil.
AFP, citing a source close to Hezbollah, reported that Aqil perished in the strike.
The Lebanese Health Ministry claimed that eight had been killed in the strike and that another 59 were wounded.
Go to the full article >>Israel on Friday stood firm on the need for a new and expanded phase of its almost year-long war with Hezbollah as the UN warned of catastrophe and the US called for diplomacy.
“Our goals are clear, our actions speak for themselves,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also underscored that point, explaining, “We will continue pursuing our enemies in order to defend our citizens - even in the Dahieh in Beirut.
“The series of operations in the new phase of the war will continue until we achieve our goal: ensuring the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes,” Gallant stated.
Go to the full article >>"The Hezbollah commanders we eliminated today had been planning their 'October 7th' on the northern border for years," IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said after the IDF eliminated Radwan Force Commander Ibrahim Aqil on Friday.
"We reached them, and we will reach anyone who threatens the security of Israel's citizens," Halevi added.
Go to the full article >>International and Israeli officials expressed varied reactions to the news that the IDF conducted a strike on Beirut on Friday and eliminated a Hezbollah Radwan commander - with some expressing their fears that this would only further escalate the regional tensions that arose following Hamas's October 7 attacks on southern Israel and the ongoing war against the terror group.
The IDF announced on Friday that it had conducted an airstrike on Beirut, the second on the Lebanese capital in the last two months, with the first eliminating Fuad Shukr. Hezbollah officials told the Agence France-Presse that the strike had eliminated Hezbollah senior Radwan Commander Ibrahim Aqil.
The strike reportedly killed eight people and wounded 59 others, Lebanon's health ministry said in a preliminary toll.
Go to the full article >>"We have to make sure that the people of northern Israel as well as southern Lebanon are able to get back to their homes, and get back safely," US President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House on Friday after the Israeli army killed Radwan Force commander and head of Hezbollah Operations, Ibrahim Aqil.
The United States is not involved in the IDF attacks on Lebanon, US National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby told reporters earlier on Friday.
“There was no US involvement,” Kirby said, adding, "We believe that there is still time and space for diplomacy to work.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to New York has been postponed for a day, Maariv reported. He will take off for the US on Tuesday evening.
This is a developing story.
Go to the full article >>Israel's attack in Beirut on Friday afternoon allegedly targeted head of Hezbollah's Operations Division Ibrahim Aliq, Israeli media confirmed on Friday morning.
So who is this leader in the terrorist organization, and why did Israel allegedly want to take him down?
Ibrahim Aqil, also known as Tahsin, "serves on Hezbollah’s highest military body, the Jihad Council," according to the Rewards for Justice Program, United States Department of State's national security interagency program that offers reward for information leading to the location or an arrest of leaders of terrorist groups.
Go to the full article >>IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi met with IDF Northern Command Commander Ori Gordin on Friday, the military reported.
Halevi also reportedly met with division commanders in the Northern Command.
The meeting comes amid a day of rising tensions with the Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah.
Go to the full article >>Israel submitted on Friday formal challenges to the International Criminal Court over its jurisdiction and the legality of arrest warrant requests against Israeli leaders for their conduct of the Gaza war, the Foreign Ministry said.
Israel's filings might further delay a decision on the warrants, requested in May against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan last month urged judges to rule on the warrants, sought also against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and others in the Palestinian terrorist group.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that its first legal brief outlined the ICC's "manifest lack of jurisdiction" in the case.
The second paper, it said, argues that the ICC Prosecutor breached court rules by "failing to provide Israel with the opportunity to exercise its right to investigate by itself the claims raised by the Prosecutor, before proceeding."
Go to the full article >>IDF fighter jets struck hundreds of rockets that were ready for immediate launch into Israeli territory, the IDF announced on Thursday night.
Starting on Thursday afternoon, a total of about 100 rocket launchers and other military infrastructure were attacked, including about 1,000 rockets that were ready for immediate launch, the IDF said.
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