Israeli jets launch airstrike on Beirut, senior Hezbollah leader allegedly among dead

The Israeli Air Force has conducted an airstrike on Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, reportedly using F-35 fighter jets, according to reports in Israeli media. An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman has confirmed the strike.

According to Israeli media reports, the target of the operation was Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil, for whom the US had previously offered a $7 million reward for information leading to his capture as a result of his reported involvement in the attack on Beirut's US embassy in 1983.

According to an X post by The Jewish Voice, "Aqil has been on the international wanted list since the bombing of the U.S. embassy, which killed 63 people. This marks another significant blow to Hezbollah’s leadership as Israel continues to defend itself from terrorist threats."

Earlier, Israeli media reported that more than 100 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Friday afternoon, prompting the Israeli army to advise civilians in the region to stay close to bomb shelters.

In terms of damage, a direct hit was reported on a building at a dairy farm in Kibbutz Ortal, located in the northern Golan Regional Council, an Israeli settlement in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. A power outage was reported in Safed in Israel's Northern District, Xinhua news agency reported quoting Israeli media.

Sirens warning of rocket fire were activated in Safed, several nearby towns around the Sea of Galilee, and in Ortal in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Social media posts showed multiple interceptions by the Iron Dome defence system during what appeared to be a significant rocket attack by the Hezbollah.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated sharply on Thursday, with both sides exchanging deadly attacks and vowing further retaliation after explosions from pagers and handheld radios across Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday killed 37 people and left 2,931 injured. Hezbollah attributed the explosions to Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, while Israeli officials have not commented on the incident.

The Lebanese government condemned the explosions, calling them a serious violation of sovereignty, and requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting.

Meanwhile, two Hezbollah members were killed in a clash with Israeli forces along the border separating Lebanon and Israel, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua news agency on Friday.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, reported that a Hezbollah military group attempted to plant an explosive device at a border point when it was discovered by the Israeli army, which subsequently laid siege to the area.

The clash lasted about half-an-hour, and as the Hezbollah group attempted to withdraw, an Israeli drone targeted it with an air-to-ground missile, resulting in the deaths of two members. Hezbollah is yet to comment on the incident.

On Friday, Israeli warplanes and drones conducted eight airstrikes on six border towns and villages in southern Lebanon, while Israeli artillery shelled 11 towns and villages in the eastern and central border areas with approximately 40 shells. Lebanese military sources reported the launch of about 140 surface-to-surface missiles from Lebanon into northern Israel, and claimed the missiles were not intercepted by the Iron Dome.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the missile attacks on northern Israel, saying it bombed key military sites, including the Northern Command's air defence missile system in Berea Barracks, and the headquarters of Armored Brigade 188 in Al-Aliqa barracks.

On Thursday night, Israeli warplanes conducted around 60 airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in southern and eastern Lebanon, dropping about 150 air-to-ground missiles. The results of these raids, described as the most intense since October 2023, are not yet known.

With IANS inputs