Lebanon's Hezbollah mourned a military commander and 13 fighters who were killed in the Israeli raid on Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday. In Israel, Israeli radio announced that Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi had made the decision to carry out the assassination shortly before the operation was carried out.

The party mourned the leader Ahmed Wahbi, who was in charge of the Radwan Force until early 2024, and was assassinated along with the military leader Ibrahim Aqil.

In a statement by the party, it indicated that Wahbi played a fundamental role in developing human capabilities in the party, and assumed responsibility for the Radwan Force until the beginning of 2024, and returned to assume responsibility for the unit after the martyrdom of Commander Hajj Wissam Al-Tawil.

Hezbollah officially confirmed late Friday evening what Israel announced regarding its assassination of Aqil.

The party said in the statement, "Today (Friday), the great jihadist leader, Hajj Ibrahim Aqil, joined the procession of his brothers, the great martyr leaders."

Aqil is the second senior Hezbollah official to be assassinated by Israel in the southern suburbs of Beirut, after Fouad Shukr, since Hezbollah opened a support front for the Gaza Strip following the Israeli aggression on it on October 7.

Halevi's Authentication

In Israel, the media began publishing some details of what happened before the assassination yesterday and how the decision was made.

Israeli radio reported that the assassination plan was set and put into effect in a short time and was approved by Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.

The radio indicated that a reliable intelligence source conveyed information about a meeting of the leaders of the Radwan Brigade, affiliated with a party, which led the army to carry out the assassination operation.

According to the Israeli Channel Kan, Halevi approved the assassination of Aqil during his meeting with the leaders of the Northern Brigade yesterday morning, Friday.

In the latest death toll from the attack, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said that 14 people were killed and about 66 wounded in the Israeli raid that targeted two residential buildings in the Al-Jamous area with missiles from an F-35 fighter jet, causing them to collapse.

Source: Al Jazeera