Hezbollah’s top military commander, 14 fighters killed in Israel's strike on Beirut suburbs

ANKARA

Hezbollah’s top military commander Ahmed Wahbi as well as 14 of its fighters were killed in an Israeli raid targeting Beirut's southern suburb on Friday, the Lebanese group said.

On Friday, an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburb killed at least 14 people and injured 66 others, with nine in critical condition, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.

The Israeli army said Friday that it assassinated Hezbollah’s top military commander Ibrahim Aqil, along with senior commanders from the group's elite Radwan Force.

The strike marks the third attack by Israel on the southern suburb since an ongoing wave of hostilities began nearly a year ago.

Previous notable attacks include the assassination of Hamas political bureau deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri on Jan. 2 and the killing of prominent Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukr on July 30.

The airstrike occurred amid a new wave of Israeli escalation in Lebanon, with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announcing Thursday that the conflict with Hezbollah has entered “a new phase.”

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi