Israel Defense Forces confirm 'targeted strike' on Beirut

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed a targeted missile strike was made Friday on Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon.

Security officials claim the airstrike was targeting Ibrahim Aqil, a member of terrorist group Hezbollah's Jihad Council. 

"Today, Israel eliminated [Aqil] with a surgical airstrike in Beirut," the Israeli government posted on social media. "Justice is served."

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Rescuers carry a body at the scene of a missile strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Aqil is wanted by the United States for his alleged role in the bombing of a U.S. Marines barracks in Beirut in 1983. He is also believed to be linked to the taking of American hostages in Lebanon during the 1980s.

Israeli officials released an announcement hours later stating that the "IAF aircraft conducted a targeted, intelligence-based strike in the area of Beirut, and eliminated Ibrahim Aqil, the Head of Hezbollah's Operations Unit and the Commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Forces, who was also in charge of Hezbollah’s 'Conquer the Galilee' attack plan."

Hezbollah officials have confirmed the missile struck a Dahiya district building that Aqil is believed to have been in.

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Ambulances arrive at the scene of an Israeli missile strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

The strike killed at least nine individuals and wounded approximately 60 others, according to Lebanese health officials. Two apartment buildings were flattened by the blast. 

"During the strike, senior operatives in Hezbollah's Operations Staff and commanders from the Radwan Unit were eliminated alongside Aqil," the announcement continued. "Ibrahim Aqil and the Radwan commanders who were eliminated today were planning Hezbollah’s 'Conquer the Galilee' attack plan, in which Hezbollah intended to infiltrate Israeli communities and murder innocent civilians."

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People gather at the scene of an Israeli missile strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

It's only the latest in Israel's increasingly aggressive campaign against Hezbollah — the IDF fired on several infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon yesterday, including areas of Chihine, Tayibe, Blida, Meiss El Jabal, Aitaroun and Kfarkela.

Earlier in the week, Israeli security forces remotely detonated hundreds of electronic devices used by Hezbollah members to communicate, killing 12 and wounding over 2,800 others.