Hezbollah Commander Muhammad Ali Ismail targeted in Israeli airstrikes

3 min read Last Updated : Sep 28 2024 | 8:53 AM IST

In the early hours of Saturday, the Israeli military confirmed that it had carried out a precise airstrike resulting in the death of Muhammad Ali Ismail, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Missile Unit in southern Lebanon, along with his deputy, Hussein Ahmad Ismail. The strike is the latest in Israel's escalating campaign against Hezbollah, a powerful Shia militant group operating in Lebanon.

According to a statement by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), Muhammad Ali Ismail had been responsible for orchestrating numerous attacks against Israel, including the recent rocket launches aimed at Israeli territories. The airstrike follows the elimination of Ibrahim Muhammad Qabisi, the Head of Hezbollah's Missiles and Rockets Force, and several other senior commanders. The IDF’s statement emphasised the precision of the operation, declaring that it successfully neutralised key Hezbollah figures, potentially disrupting the group's missile capabilities.

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In an official statement posted on social media, the IDF confirmed the elimination, stating: "Muhammad Ali Ismail, Commander of Hezbollah’s Missile Unit in southern Lebanon, and his deputy, Hussein Ahmad Ismail, were eliminated in a precise IAF strike. Ali Ismail was responsible for directing numerous terrorist attacks against the State of Israel, including the recent firing of rockets toward Israeli territory and the launch of a surface-to-surface missile toward central Israel."

These strikes are part of a wider military offensive targeting Hezbollah’s operations. On Friday, Israeli forces said that they had also targeted Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut, triggering a series of massive explosions. The airstrikes devastated multiple high-rise apartment buildings, resulting in at least six confirmed deaths and 91 injuries, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Rescue teams are still working through the rubble, and the death toll is expected to rise as more bodies are uncovered.

The health ministry also confirmed that the explosions, the largest to strike Beirut in the past year, have exacerbated the ongoing tensions in the region, inching both parties closer to an all-out war. Israel’s strikes targeted Hezbollah’s leadership, with reports suggesting that Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, was among those aimed at in the assault on the headquarters. However, there has been no official confirmation of Nasrallah's whereabouts, and Hezbollah has not commented on whether he was present during the attack.

A report by AP, sources, including a US official familiar with the operation, stated that Nasrallah had been the primary target. However, the Israeli military has not provided any information regarding the intended targets of the strikes.

In the aftermath of these strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short his visit to the US and returned to Israel. Earlier, in an address to the UN, Netanyahu had vowed to continue Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, further dimming prospects for a ceasefire brokered by the international community.

First Published: Sep 28 2024 | 8:53 AMIST