An Israeli airstrike on Monday targeted Hezbollah’s third-in-command, Ali Karaki. “Israeli security source confirms to i24NEWS that IDF strike in Beirut targeted Hezbollah’s third-in-command Ali Karaki,” the Israeli TV channel reported.
Karaki, who is head of Hezbollah’s southern front, was reportedly promoted to replace Ibrahim Aqil, who, along with the entire command of the Radwan terrorist force, was eliminated last week in an Israeli airstrike.
While the IDF is still assessing the outcome of the strike, some Arab media outlets suggest that Karaki has been killed. “Sky News Arabic reported that Karaki was killed in the airstrike, which consisted of six missiles that struck the building in which he was staying,” the Israeli broadcaster Arutz Sheva reported.
“Karaki is the head of Hezbollah’s so-called “Southern Front,” responsible for the terror group’s military activity in south Lebanon,” The Times of Israel noted. “He is a member of the Jihad Council, Hezbollah’s top military body.”
The Israeli news website YNET reported:
An Israeli airstrike in the Dahieh district of Beirut on Monday evening targeted Ali Karaki, the head of Hezbollah’s southern front and the group’s third-highest-ranking official, just three days after the assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil and several high-profile figures in the terrorist group’s elite Radwan Force.A security source confirmed to Reuters that Karaki was the target of the strike but said his fate remains unknown. Meanwhile, Sky News Arabia reported, citing a Lebanese source, that Karaki was killed.In a brief statement, the Israeli military said it carried out a targeted strike in Beirut. Ynet security analyst Ron Ben-Yishai noted that Karaki and Talal Hamiyah are the only remaining senior members from Hezbollah’s old military leadership following a series of recent assassinations in Beirut.
The strike in the heart of the Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut comes as Israeli armed forces began a major offensive to push the Iran-backed terrorist group away from the country’s northern border. “We are striking combat infrastructure that Hezbollah has been building for the past 20 years,” Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi said Monday.
Tens of thousands of civilians have been forced to flee their homes in northern Israel amid relentless rocket fire by Hezbollah since October 7. “We are striking targets and preparing for the next phases, which I will elaborate on shortly. Ultimately, everything is focused on creating the conditions to return the residents of the north to their homes,” he assured.
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