Beirut, Sept 23: The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah announced that it fired a barrage of missiles at a military base deep inside Israel early Sunday following an Israeli airstrike more than a day earlier that killed at least 37 people, including one of the militant group’s senior leaders as well as women and children.It was not immediately clear if any of the rockets had hit their target. Israel’s emergency medical services reported that a man was lightly wounded by shrapnel from a missile that was intercepted in a village in the lower Galilee.
Local media reported that rockets shot from Lebanon were intercepted in the areas of Haifa and Nazareth. The Israeli military said only that it had monitored the launch of âabout ten rocketsâ from Lebanon, of which most were intercepted.
Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said the attack thwarted the group’s chain of command while taking out Akil, who he said was responsible for Israeli deaths and who was on the US wanted list for years.
âThis is our commitment to the fallen and their loved ones. This is our commitment to the residents of the north. And this is a clear message to all those who seek to harm us,â he posted on X.
The Israeli government braced for an expected surge in Hezbollah rocket attacks by setting new caps on the size of gatherings and other restrictions in the north of the country, near Israel’s border with Lebanon.
Hezbollah confirms more than a dozen operatives were killed
Akil, the main target, had been wanted by the US for years for his alleged role in the 1983 bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut and the taking of American and German hostages in Lebanon in the 1980s. The US State Department last year announced a reward of up to USD 7 million for information leading to his âidentification, location, arrest, and/or conviction.â
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan called Akil’s death âa good outcomeâ and said he had âAmerican blood on his handsâ for the embassy attack.
âYou know, 1983 seems like a long time ago,â Sullivan said. âBut for a lot of families and a lot of people, they’re still living with it every day.â
Wahbi was described as a commander who played major roles within Hezbollah for decades and was imprisoned in an Israeli jail in southern Lebanon in 1984. Hezbollah said he was one of the âfield commandersâ during a 1997 ambush in southern Lebanon that left 12 Israeli troops dead.
Hezbollah announced overnight that 15 of its operatives had been killed by Israeli forces, but it didn’t how or where they died. Meanwhile, the Israeli army spokesperson, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, said Saturday 16 Hezbollah fighters were killed in Friday’s strike.
Israel airstrikes and Hezbollah rocket attacks continue
Israel and Hezbollah engaged in heavy back-and-forth strikes on Saturday. The Israeli military confirmed that about 90 rockets had been fired at northern Israel and that Israel had struck more than 400 rocket launchers in Lebanon during the day.