An Israeli airstrike on a Beirut apartment block killed a senior Hezbollah leader and about a dozen other members of the militant group, Israel’s military said Saturday as Lebanon raised the attack’s death toll to 37, including women and children.
The airstrike during the Friday afternoon rush leveled the eight-story building in a densely populated neighborhood in southern Beirut as Hezbollah members were meeting in the basement, according to Israel.
Among those killed was Ibrahim Akil, a top Hezbollah official who commanded the group’s special forces unit the Radwan Force, the Israeli military said. Also killed was Ahmed Wahbi, a top commander in the group’s military wing, it said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the attack thwarted Hezbollah’s chain of command while taking out Akil, who was responsible for Israeli deaths.