Hezbollah confirms the death of 14 of its members in the Israeli bombing of Beirut

September 21 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Lebanese Shiite militia party Hezbollah has confirmed the death of fourteen of its members, including commander Ibrahim Akil, victims of the latest “targeted bombing” by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) against the country’s capital, Beirut, in an event that left another 70 injured.

“It is with great pride that the Islamic resistance today presents one of its great leaders as a martyr on the road to Jerusalem, and promises his pure soul to remain loyal to his goals, hopes and path until victory,” Hezbollah said in a statement carried by the group’s affiliated Al Manar channel.

The Lebanese militia also recalled that Akil was part of “one of the heroic operations during the confrontation against the Israeli invasion of Beirut in the early 1980s,” referring to the attack on the US Embassy in Lebanon in 1983, and has praised his leadership since the 1990s.

Hezbollah also confirmed the death of Ahmed Mahdmud Wehbe, a prominent militia commander who led Radwan Force operations on the Lebanese front since the start of hostilities in the region following the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) attacks on October 7.

Along with Akil and Wehbe, another dozen Hezbollah members have also died, victims of an Israeli air strike that hit a residential building in a neighborhood in southern Beirut the day before, at a time when the area was witnessing intense civilian movement, according to reports from Lebanon.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed the death of 14 people on Monday, while nearly 70 others were injured, including nine in serious condition. The death toll could rise.

Israel, for its part, confirmed hours after the attack that the main target had been Akil, leader of the Radwan Force. According to Israeli authorities, the commando had planned to carry out a ground incursion against the country in the style of the Hamas attacks of almost a year ago.