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Israel says it carried out deadly ‘targeted attack’ on Beirut – killing Hezbollah commander wanted by US

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Top line

A “targeted attack” in Lebanon on Friday killed Ibrahim Aqil, a senior member of the militant group Hezbollah wanted by the U.S. for a series of bombings in the 1980s, Israeli officials said. The attack reportedly killed at least 14 people and wounded more than 60.

Key facts

The IDF said the target of the attack was an area in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. It was Israel’s first direct bombing attack on Lebanon since July. Details of the attack were not disclosed.

According to the IDF, Aqil was the target of Israeli attacks and was killed in the attack.

The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday it had struck Hezbollah targets, including 30 launchers and “terrorist infrastructure facilities.”

The Israeli attack follows earlier attacks by Hezbollah, which fired 140 rockets into northern Israel on Friday after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed retaliation for a series of deadly explosive devices.

More than 40 people were killed and more than 3,000 injured when two-way radios, solar equipment and other devices exploded in Lebanon on Wednesday. That number rose to 40 and more than 3,000 injured after pagers exploded in the country and in Syria on Tuesday, most likely aimed at Hezbollah targets.

It is widely believed that Israel is behind the attacks, and it does not deny its responsibility.

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Key quote

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. was “not involved” in the attacks, emphasizing that he believes “there is time and space for a diplomatic solution” to prevent escalation. The White House has previously said it is “concerned and concerned about the potential for escalation” in the region.

Who is Ibrahim Aqil?

The United States has charged Aqil with two terrorist attacks that killed hundreds of Americans in 1983. In the 1980s, Aqil was a member of Islamic Jihad and was involved in two attacks by the militant group in 1983: the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, which killed 63 people, and the bombing of a Marine Corps barracks, which killed 241 American soldiers. Another Hezbollah leader responsible for the attacks, Fuad Shukr, was killed in an Israeli attack in July. Aqil also directed the kidnapping of American and German hostages in Lebanon in the 1980s, according to the State Department, which previously offered $7 million for information leading to his arrest.

Key general information

Hezbollah — an Iranian-backed militia in Lebanon that the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization — has attacked the Israeli military along its border with Lebanon after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel in October, and the conflict has escalated in recent months. The IDF last attacked Beirut in July, striking Shukr, which Israel blames for killing 12 people in a suburb near southern Lebanon. Israeli officials reportedly told the U.S. they would conduct an unspecified operation in Lebanon earlier this week before pagers exploded across the country. Other reports suggest the U.S. believes Israel planted the explosive device before the pagers reached Hezbollah, which has blamed Israel for “this criminal aggression that has also harmed civilians and caused deaths and injuries.” U.S. and other officials have warned Israel that the escalation of the conflict with Lebanon would become a proxy war that could eventually draw in its sponsor, Iran, and ultimately the U.S.

Further reading

ForbesReports of radio blasts in Lebanon killing 14, day after Hezbollah pager explosionsBy You Roush