Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on September 28, 2024 within the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon. | Photograph credit score: Getty Pictures
In simply over per week, intensified Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed seven commanders and senior officers of the highly effective Hezbollah militant group, together with the group’s chief, Hassan Nasrallah.
The transfer left Lebanon and far of the Center East in shock as Israeli officers celebrated main navy and intelligence positive factors.
Additionally learn: Israeli airstrike hits central Beirut on September 30, 2024 LIVE Updates
Hezbollah had opened a entrance to assist its ally Hamas within the Gaza Strip a day after the Palestinian group’s shock assault on southern Israel.
The latest assaults in Lebanon and the assassination of Mr. Nasrallah are a big escalation within the warfare within the Center East, this time between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s strongest navy and political pressure is now attempting to get well from extreme blows, having misplaced key members who’ve been a part of Hezbollah since its creation within the early Eighties.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah
Chief amongst them was Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in a sequence of airstrikes that leveled a number of buildings in southern Beirut. Others had been much less identified to the surface world however remained key to Hezbollah’s operations.
Since 1992, Nasrallah had led the group by a number of wars with Israel and oversaw the get together’s transformation into a strong participant in Lebanon. Hezbollah entered Lebanon’s political area and on the identical time participated in regional conflicts that made it essentially the most highly effective paramilitary pressure. After the 2011 Syrian rebellion descended into civil warfare, Hezbollah performed a key function in conserving Syrian President Bashar Assad in energy. Beneath Nasrallah, Hezbollah additionally helped construct the capabilities of different Iranian-backed armed teams in Iraq and Yemen.
Nasrallah is a divisive determine in Lebanon: his supporters reward him for ending the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000 and his opponents criticize him for the group’s weapons arsenal and for making unilateral selections that they are saying serve an agenda for Tehran and its allies.
Nabil Kaouk
Nabil Kaouk, who was killed in an airstrike on Saturday (September 28, 2024), was the deputy head of Hezbollah’s Central Council. He joined the militant group at its inception within the Eighties. Kaouk additionally served as Hezbollah’s navy commander in southern Lebanon from 1995 to 2010. He made a number of media appearances and gave speeches to his followers, together with at militants’ funerals. of Hezbollah killed. He had been seen as a potential successor to Nasrallah.
Ibrahim Akil
Ibrahim Akil was a high commander and led Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Forces, which Israel has been attempting to push additional away from its border with Lebanon. He was additionally a member of its highest navy physique, the Jihad Council, and had been on the USA’ wished listing for years. The US State Division says Akil was a part of the group that carried out the 1983 bombing of the US embassy in Beirut and orchestrated the taking of German and American hostages.
Ahmad Wehbe
Ahmad Wehbe was commander of the Radwan Forces and performed an important function within the group’s improvement since its formation nearly twenty years in the past. He was killed together with Akil in an airstrike within the southern suburbs of Beirut that hit and introduced down a constructing.
Ali Karaki
Ali Karaki led Hezbollah’s southern entrance and performed a key function within the ongoing battle. America described him as a significant determine within the militant group’s management. Little is thought about Karaki, who was killed together with Nasrallah.
Mohamed Surour
Mohammad Surour was the top of Hezbollah’s drone unit, which was first used on this present battle with Israel. Beneath his management, Hezbollah launched explosive and reconnaissance drones deep into Israel, penetrating its protection techniques, which had targeted totally on the group’s rockets and missiles.
Ibrahim Kobeisi
Ibrahim Kobeisi headed Hezbollah’s missile unit. The Israeli navy says Kobeissi masterminded the kidnapping and homicide of three Israeli troopers on the northern border in 2000, whose our bodies had been returned in a prisoner change with Hezbollah 4 years later.
Even within the months earlier than the latest escalation of the warfare with Hezbollah, Israel’s navy had attacked senior commanders, notably Fuad Shukur in late July, hours earlier than an explosion in Iran, extensively attributed to Israel, killed to the chief of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh. . America accuses Fuad Shukur of orchestrating the 1983 Beirut bombing that killed 241 American service members.
The leaders of key items within the south, Jawad Tawil, Taleb Abdullah and Mohammad Nasser, who over a number of many years grew to become key members of Hezbollah’s navy exercise, had been all killed.
Nasrallah’s second-in-command, Naim Kassem, is the group’s most senior member. Kassem has been Hezbollah’s deputy chief since 1991 and is amongst its founding members. On a number of events, native information networks had been fast to imagine that an Israeli strike in southern Beirut might need focused Kassem.
Kassem is the one senior official of the militant group to have performed interviews with native and worldwide media through the ongoing battle. The second chief seems to be concerned in varied points of the militant group, each in high-level political and safety issues, in addition to in issues associated to Hezbollah’s theocratic and charitable initiatives for the Shia Muslim neighborhood in Lebanon.
In the meantime, Hashim Safieddine, who heads Hezbollah’s central council, is predicted to be Nasrallah’s successor. Safieddine is a cousin of the late Hezbollah chief and his son is married to the daughter of Iranian Basic Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in 2020. Like Nasrallah, Safieddine joined Hezbollah early on and Equally he wears a black turban.
Talal Hamieh and Abu Ali Reda are the 2 remaining high Hezbollah commanders who’re alive and apparently focused by the Israeli navy.
Printed – September 30, 2024 02:16 pm IST
