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Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire on Saturday as rescue crews in Beirut searched the rubble of an apartment building that was leveled by an Israeli airstrike that killed at least 37 people, including one of the militant group’s senior leaders as well as women and children.
The Israeli government braced for an expected surge in Hezbollah rocket attacks by setting new caps on the size of gatherings and other restrictions in the north of the country, near Israel’s border with Lebanon, that led to schools in some communities canceling classes on Sunday.
The airstrike Friday took down an eight-story building in a densely populated neighborhood in southern Beirut as Hezbollah members were meeting in the basement, according to Israel.
Among those killed was Ibrahim Akil, a top Hezbollah official who commanded the group’s special forces unit the Radwan Force. Also killed was Ahmed Wahbi, a top commander in the group’s military wing, the Israeli military said.
Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said the attack, which came days after devastating coordinated attacks on Hezbollah that used exploding pagers and walkie-talkies, thwarted the group’s chain of command while taking out Akil, who he said was responsible for Israeli deaths and who was on the U.S. wanted list for years.
“This is our commitment to the fallen and their loved ones. This is our commitment to the residents of the north. And this is a clear message to all those who seek to harm us,” he posted on X.
Lebanon’s health minister, Firass Abiad, told reporters that at least seven women and three children were killed in Friday’s airstrike on the building. He said another 68 people were injured, including 15 who were hospitalized.
It was the deadliest strike on Beirut since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, and the casualty count could grow, with 23 people still missing, a government official said.
