Dozen Hezbollah commanders killed, Iraqi militias reassess security

"The Hezbollah commanders we eliminated today had been planning their 'October 7' on the northern border for years," IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said after the IDF eliminated Radwan Force Commander Ibrahim Aqil on Friday.

"We reached them, and we will reach anyone who threatens the security of Israel's citizens," Halevi added.

Another IDF official, spokesman Daniel Hagari, also confirmed Friday evening at a press conference the elimination of Aqil, Hezbollah's head of operations and the leader of the "Plan to Conquer the Galilee."

In his briefing, Hagari said: "The Hezbollah leaders who were eliminated were planning to carry out an operation in the north similar to that of October 7." He added that Aqil and the others who were eliminated had gathered underground and used civilians as human shields.

Hagari stated that as part of the plan, Hezbollah intended to invade Israel, capture Galilee settlements, and kidnap and murder Israeli civilians. "Aqil was responsible for anti-tank operations, facilitated attacks such as the one at the Megiddo Junction, attempted infiltrations into Israel, and was also responsible for the organization's attacks abroad," Hagari said. "He was a terrorist with much blood on his hands.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gives a televised address, Lebanon, September 19, 2024, in this screenshot taken from a video. (credit: Al-Manar TV via REUTERS)

"We are on high alert, both offensively and defensively, and we are monitoring all developments. At this stage, there are no changes to the Home Front Command guidelines," he went on to tell the Israeli public. "Nevertheless, continue to remain vigilant and alert. We are in a tense period. The IDF is fighting on multiple fronts, and our enemies will try to challenge us in these arenas." The spokesperson declined to comment on whether Nasrallah is also a target of the IDF.

A security source told Al Jazeera that the strike on Friday targeted 20 senior Radwan Force commanders who were meeting underground in a parking lot. According to the report, four missiles were fired at the building under which they were meeting, and the structure collapsed.

French President Emmanuel Macron accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pushing the region into war during a conversation this week, , N12 reported on Friday.

With increasing tensions in the North, Macron called Netanyahu in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.

"You have a responsibility to prevent escalation. There is a diplomatic path. This is the moment to show leadership and responsibility. Your activity in the north is pushing the region to war," Macron told Netanyahu.

Netanyahu replied, "Instead of putting pressure on us, it's time for you to put pressure on Hezbollah. We will return our residents home. We made this decision this week, and we will implement it."

France convinced diplomacy is possible

A French diplomatic source stressed to N12, "We are still convinced that a diplomatic settlement in the north is possible if all parties take responsibility. The latest security developments are worrying because they feed a new escalation dynamic."

People and members of the military inspect the site of an Israeli strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, September 20, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Jerusalem responded by saying that the French "will do what they still think they can in the diplomatic context. We will do what we must."

In government, they resented France's reprimanding position and were disappointed that France failed to exert influence on Hezbollah.

Additionally, France voted in favor of the Palestinian proposal put forward at the UN Assembly on Thursday, calling for sanctions and an arms embargo against the State of Israel.

The IDF strike that killed ten Radwan Force commanders, including Ibrahim Aqil, on Friday was during a meeting with 20 commanders from the Hezbollah special operations forces in a parking lot in the Dahieh neighborhood of Beirut.

The meeting comprised of the exact number of commanders was initially reported by Al Jazeera, which also reported that the meeting was in the second underground level of the parking lot and that the IDF strike was carried out with four missiles that caused the structure to collapse, reaching the floor where the meeting was taking place.

The entire meeting lasted only a few hours, according to Army Radio. This was not a long-planned assassination but rather the exploitation of an "operational opportunity" when intelligence came in about Aqil and the senior leaders gathering in an underground operational apartment.

Militias in Iraq have implemented advanced preventive strategies to thwart events similar to the explosions that occurred in Hezbollah's communications systems in Lebanon, according to Iran International.

The al-Sadr movement in Iraq, led by the influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, decided to cancel a mass rally planned for Baghdad following these developments, fearing the recurrence of similar scenarios.

The al-Sadr movement is a political-social movement of great weight in Iraq, known for its extraordinary ability to mobilize masses for protest actions and demonstrations.

Khatem al-Fartosi, the official spokesman for the Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, said that "despite the substantial difference in circumstances between Iraq and Lebanon, the resistance groups will implement comprehensive and targeted precautions to prevent the recurrence of incidents of this type."

IRGC calls for increased security

Mohsen Rafighdoost, who previously served as a senior commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) during the Iran-Iraq War, revealed that following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, elite teams in the IRGC and the Intelligence Ministry devoted a lot of effort to developing sophisticated assassination methods through infiltration of electronic equipment.

SHIA LEADER Muqtada al-Sadr delivers a televised speech in Najaf, Iraq, last month. (credit: ALAA AL-MARJANI/REUTERS)

Following the explosions in Lebanon, Iran ordered Nasrallah and a number of senior Iranian officials to refrain from using mobile phones until thorough and comprehensive security checks had been completed, according to the former IRGC commander.

Al-Hadath reported on Friday that one of the senior members of the Iraqi Hezbollah battalions had been assassinated on the road leading to Damascus airport.

Media outlets affiliated with the Syrian government reported an "airstrike aimed at vehicles on the Damascus International Airport road," noting that one man was killed and another was injured.

Israel's representative to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said on Friday that if Hezbollah doesn't retreat from the Israel-Lebanon border back toward the north of the Litani river through diplomatic efforts, "Israel will use any means to defend their citizens."

Danon said that Israel does not seek a wider conflict but that Hezbollah is violating international law and will not allow the Lebanon-based terror organization's attacks to continue.

Danon also added that Israel "will do whatever it takes to return Israelis to their homes in the north."

The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas mourned on Saturday Hezbollah's top commander, Ibrahim Aqil, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday, describing it as a "crime" and "folly" that Israel will pay the price for.

The Saudi Al-Hadath channel reported on Friday evening that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's advisor spoke with fellow Saudi media outlet Al-Arabiya and said: "Israel has escalated the confrontation with Hezbollah. If Hezbollah does not cease its attacks, we will expand our targets," following the assassination of Hezbollah official Ibrahim Aqil earlier in the day.

Netanyahu's advisor was also attributed with saying: "The previous red lines no longer exist."

A diplomatic source told the Al-Hadath channel that: "Aqil's assassination is a political and military message (from Israel) that any escalation by Hezbollah will be met with further escalation in the Dahieh neighborhood." The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that the death toll from the IDF strike has risen to 14 and is expected to increase further.

It was also reported that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant: "We are increasingly concerned about the escalation between Israel and Lebanon and fear miscalculations." However, it was also reported that Austin stated: "We affirm the firm, permanent, and unwavering commitment of the United States to Israel's security." Meanwhile, it was reported that the Pentagon announced USS aircraft Harry S. Truman would head to the eastern Mediterranean next Monday.

Global reactions

In terms of global reactions to Friday's events, it was reported that the head of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s office announced that the response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh "will come soon." According to reports, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry claimed that "the Zionist entity rejects the ceasefire and seeks to escalate tensions and broaden the conflict."

People watch Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivering a televised address, as they sit at a cafe in Beirut, Lebanon September 19, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)

In addition, it was reported that French President Emmanuel Macron told Netanyahu that he has a responsibility to prevent escalation on the northern front, to which the Israeli leader replied: "Instead of putting pressure on us, pressure should be applied to Hezbollah."

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid also attacked Netanyahu following the dramatic events in Lebanon, writing: "Netanyahu, what are the goals? It's been 11 months of neglect in the South and the North. And the most important act of all – bringing the 101 hostages home. What about that? Only after operational successes do you run to the media. You are responsible for the greatest disaster in the country's history, and this is your legacy."

White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby said on Saturday that he was not aware of any Israeli notice to the United States before the assassination of Ibrahim Akil in Beirut.

Kirby added that Americans have been urged not to travel to Lebanon or leave if they are there.

"War is not inevitable," Kirby said. "We will continue to do everything we can to try to prevent it."