Israel targets senior Hezbollah figures in Beirut strike

Israeli fighter jets on Friday conducted an airstrike in a southern neighborhood of Beirut in an attempt to kill Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil. The strike hit a high-rise apartment and killed at least three people and wounded 17 others, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Al Arabiyah News claimed Aqil was killed in the attack, citing a report by Reuters, but Hezbollah has not confirmed the report. The strike came two days after pagers and walkie-talkies across the country exploded, killing 37 people and wounding more than 3,000. Lebanon and Hezbollah have blamed Israel for the attacks, but Israel has not publicly commented on the incidents.

How has Hezbollah responded to recent attacks? Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has promised to retaliate for the attacks this week. Nasrallah on Thursday called the attacks a severe blow to the terrorist group. Israel on Friday reported that Hezbollah pounded its border with Lebanon with 140 rockets. The military did not say if any missiles caused casualties.

Dig deeper: Read my report about the pager and walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon.