Western and Israeli sources reported on Friday that the Israeli airstrike on the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut targeted the military commander of Hezbollah, Ibrahim Aqil, while no statement has been issued by the group regarding the attack so far.

Two security sources told Reuters that a prominent leader in the group, Ibrahim Aqil, was killed in an Israeli strike on the southern suburb, while one of the sources confirmed that Aqil was killed alongside members of the party's "Radwan" unit while they were holding a meeting.

According to Lebanese media reports, Ibrahim Aqil took over the duties of Fouad Shukr, who was recently assassinated by Israel. The Israeli Channel 13 described Aqil as “the number 3 figure in Hezbollah, who recently became number 2.”

The Israeli army claims that "since 2004, Aqil has been responsible for the operations and activities of Hezbollah elements in the fields of sabotage, anti-tank missiles, explosive devices, air defense, and other military fields."

Akil, who was born in Bednayel, Younin, Lebanon, and is also known as “Tahseen,” serves on Hezbollah’s highest military body, the Jihad Council, according to the US State Department.

The US State Department, through the Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, offered a reward of up to $7 million for information on Hezbollah leader Ibrahim Akil.

The US State Department accused Aqil of being “a key member of the Jihad Movement, a cell affiliated with Hezbollah, which claimed responsibility for the bombings of the US Embassy in Beirut in April 1983, which killed 63 people,” as well as the bombing of “a US Marine barracks in October of the same year, which killed 241 Americans.” Aqil also directed the operation to take and hold American and German hostages in Lebanon in the 1980s, according to the US State Department. The US Treasury Department designated Aqil as a “terrorist” on July 21, 2015, under Executive Order 13582 for acting for or on behalf of Hezbollah. The US State Department also designated Aqil as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” under Executive Order 13224, as amended, on September 10, 2019. The rewards program, which Aqeel was listed on, operates under the administration of the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, and aims to work for justice. Through the provision of rewards, it seeks to obtain information that protects American lives and interests and enhances American national security.