Israel’s army has dealt the Lebanese Hezbollah militia another serious blow with a deadly attack on its leadership. Hezbollah military commander Ibrahim Akil, who was deliberately killed in the air raid in Lebanon’s capital Beirut, was the mastermind of a plan to carry out a similarly devastating attack on Israel as the terror attack by the Islamist Hamas on October 7 last year, said Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari. Hezbollah confirmed Akil’s death. It spoke of the martyrdom of one of its “great leaders”. Around ten commanders of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force were also killed, according to the Israeli army.
According to Lebanese sources, at least 14 people were killed in the attack in a densely populated suburb of the capital. At least 66 others were injured. According to media reports, Akil was the successor to military commander Fuad Shukr, who was also killed by Israel on August 30. Akil was the de facto commander of the elite Radwan force, Hagari said. In this role, he was responsible for anti-tank, explosives and air defense operations, among other things. The man organized numerous terrorist attacks and also attempts to infiltrate Israel.
Army spokesman: Akil had a lot of blood on his hands
“Akil had large amounts of blood on his hands” and was responsible for the “death of many innocent civilians,” Hagari said. The US, as Israel’s ally, had put a bounty of seven million dollars (around 6.27 million euros) on Akil. Akil was also the mastermind of a plan by the Hezbollah militia to attack northern Israel, Hagari said. This “plan to conquer Galilee” was to “infiltrate Israel, take control of the communities in Galilee and kill and kidnap Israeli civilians, similar to what Hamas did on October 7,” Hagari said.
In that attack on October 7, 2023, terrorists from Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, and other extremist groups killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 others hostage in the Gaza Strip. This triggered the Gaza War. Since then, there have been almost daily mutual attacks between Israel and Hezbollah. The militia will not stop its attacks until there is a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib sees the danger of a major war.
Lebanon’s foreign minister warns of ‘major explosion’
“Either this Council will force Israel to stop its aggression,” Bou Habib told the UN Security Council in New York, “or we will be silent witnesses to the great explosion that is looming on the horizon today.” Before it is too late, “you must understand that this explosion will spare neither the East nor the West and will throw us back into the dark ages.” Because of the situation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed his trip to the UN General Debate in New York, which was planned for Tuesday, by one day.
“We have no intention of going to war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, but we cannot continue as before,” said Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon before a meeting of the UN Security Council. Israel has been trying to weaken the pro-Iranian militia for weeks. This includes targeted attacks on leadership personnel, infrastructure, rocket launchers and warehouses. With diplomatic and increasing military pressure, Israel wants to get Hezbollah to withdraw from the border area, as required by a UN resolution. As soon as the region near the border is safe again, 60,000 Israeli refugees are to return to their homes.
Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute think tank told the Wall Street Journal that Israel wants to neutralize Hezbollah’s ability to wage war by attacking key personnel, telecommunications networks and weapons systems. He predicted more such attacks, possibly against long-range missiles carrying larger warheads and precision-guided munitions. “This is more than just a message,” he told the US newspaper. “It is intended to pull the rug out from under Hezbollah’s military capabilities and ensure that it no longer poses the threat that it has been threatening very specifically and for much longer over the past 11 months,” it said.
Israel’s Prime Minister: our actions speak for themselves
After the attack on Hezbollah members in Beirut, Israel’s Defense Minister Joav Galant announced that Israel would continue to defend itself against its enemies. “The series of operations in the new phase of the war will continue until we achieve our goal: the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes,” he said, according to his office. Netanyahu said: “Our goals are clear and our actions speak for themselves.”
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah announced in a nationally broadcast speech on Thursday that he would continue shelling northern Israel. Israel could only allow people to return to safety in the north if the war in the Gaza Strip was stopped. At the same time, Nasrallah accused Israel of being responsible for the explosions of pagers and handheld radios this week. According to authorities, at least 37 people were killed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Around 3,000 others were injured. Israel has not yet claimed responsibility. Hezbollah leader Nasrallah spoke of a declaration of war and threatened retaliation.
“Israel has dealt Hezbollah a very strong psychological and tactical blow that is devastating,” Fawaz Gerges, Middle East expert and professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, told the Wall Street Journal. However, this week’s attacks would not change the strategic calculation between Hezbollah and Israel. “Anyone who knows Hezbollah from the inside will tell you that these attacks will harden Hezbollah’s stance and make it even more determined to resist and continue on its path,” the expert told the US newspaper.
Meanwhile, according to President Joe Biden, the US government is continuing to work on the return of displaced people from the Israeli-Lebanese border area. “We continue to try, as we have done from the beginning, to ensure that both the people of northern Israel and southern Lebanon can return to their homes,” Biden said at a cabinet meeting, according to reporters present. “We will keep working on this until we get it done. We still have a long way to go.”
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