Israel-Hezbollah: Death of two important figures of the Lebanese movement, Ibrahim Akil and Ahmed Mahmoud Wahbi

An Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut left 31 dead on Friday, including three children. Among the dead in the operation was Ibrahim Akil, the head of Hezbollah’s elite unit, a raid that comes just days after attacks on Hezbollah’s communications equipment left 37 dead and more than 3,000 injured.

Death of Ibrahim Akil

This is a heavy loss for the Islamist movement. With the death of Ibrahim Akil, Hezbollah has lost its main leaders, one of its most experienced ones as well. After the death of Fouad Choukr, the organization’s chief of staff killed by Israel on July 30, Akil effectively led its armed forces.

According to the IDF, he was planning an invasion of localities near the Lebanese border with the intention of carrying out massacres similar to those committed by Hamas on October 7. Aged 64, Ibrahim Akil, who had joined Hezbollah upon its founding in 1982 and specialized in terrorist operations, kidnapping Western nationals, planning and carrying out deadly attacks.

His involvement in two truck bomb attacks in 1983 against the American embassy in Beirut and then against the barracks of American and French soldiers earned him a price on his head from Washington. No less than $7 million was promised to anyone who could provide information that could help the United States locate him.

Death of Ahmed Mahmoud Wahbi

Hezbollah announced Saturday the death of a second senior commander in the Israeli strike carried out the day before on the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of the Lebanese movement, which left at least 15 dead.

The pro-Iranian group claimed that Ahmed Mahmoud Wahbi had led until early this year the military operations of his elite Radwan unit in support of the Palestinian Hamas, at war with Israel in Gaza since October 7, 2023.