Israeli Air Force fighter jets conducted a targeted airstrike in Dahiyeh, the Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, the military announced.
The attack targeted Ali Karaki, Hezbollah’s No. 3 man. He is the terrorist organization’s highest-ranking remaining “military” commander following Friday’s targeted killing of Ibrahim Aqil.
It was not immediately clear if Karaki was killed or wounded.
In an official statement issued three hours after the strike, Hezbollah claimed that the top terrorist was still alive and “moved to a safe place.”
Karaki heads Hezbollah’s southern front, which is responsible for the Iranian-backed terrorist army’s cross-border attacks on Israel. He reportedly had been chosen by Hezbollah to succeed Aqil.
Karaki is also a member of Hezbollah’s top “military” organization, the Jihad Council, which is subordinate to the Shura Council and under the direct control of Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
According to Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen channel, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, at least three missiles were fired at Karaki’s location and several people were wounded in the assassination attempt.
The IDF conducted a targeted strike in Beirut. Details to follow. pic.twitter.com/hot8x8stXp
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 23, 2024
Monday night’s aerial attack marked the fourth time that IAF jets struck the Lebanese capital since Hezbollah joined the war against the Jewish state in support of Palestinian Hamas in the wake of the Oct. 7 massacre.
On Friday, the IDF took credit for a targeted airstrike in the Dahiyeh neighborhood that killed more than a dozen Hezbollah officers including Aqil, who was also wanted by the United States for involvement in the 1983 bombing of the American embassy in Beirut.
On July 30, Israeli Air Force jets carried out a targeted killing in south Beirut of Hezbollah’s No. 2 “military” commander, Fuad Shukr.
Hezbollah has attacked Israel nearly daily since Oct. 8, 2023, firing thousands of rockets, missiles and drones. The attacks have killed more than 40 people and caused widespread damage. Tens of thousands of Israeli civilians remain internally displaced due to the violence.
Following Monday’s IAF strike in Beirut, air-raid sirens sounded across northern Israel, warning of renewed Hezbollah rocket and missile fire.
The Magen David Adom medical emergency response group said a 23-year-old man was evacuated to Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center in moderate condition after he was hit by shrapnel in the Upper Galilee.