UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that Lebanon is on the brink of disaster, while US President Joe Biden urged both sides to avoid escalating the conflict.
Jerusalem: The Israeli military confirmed this week that it killed a senior Hezbollah commander in an airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut. In a statement, the military identified the commander as Ibrahim Muhammad Qubaisi, who was reportedly in charge of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket operations.
Hezbollah acknowledged Qubaisi's death, releasing a statement describing him as a martyr "on the road to Jerusalem," a term they use for fighters killed by Israeli forces. The airstrike is part of Israel’s most extensive bombardments against Lebanon since 2006, launched at the start of this week, which has resulted in over 550 fatalities and more than 1,800 injuries across the country.
The significant escalation has raised concerns about the potential for a full-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, with fears that other nations could also become involved. Hezbollah and the Israeli army have been exchanging shelling across the Lebanese-Israeli border after war broke out between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip last October following the former's unprecedented attack on Israel.
Confrontations between the two have escalated in recent days, as the group began shelling military sites in northern Israel with dozens of missiles, including "Fadi 1", "Fadi 2" and "Fadi 3" missiles, which it used for the first time since October 8 last year, Xinhua news agency reported.
On September 25, Hezbollah, for the first time, launched a medium-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile from Lebanon at the headquarters of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad, the group said in a statement. Israel's army has said that Hezbollah had fired around 300 rockets and other projectiles into Israel amid the second day of Israel's heaviest attacks on Lebanon since 2006.
Who was Ibrahim Muhammad Qubaisi?A Hezbollah veteran, Ibrahim Muhammad Qubaisi, joined the group in the 1980s. Over the years, he commanded various missile and rocket units, including the precision-guided missile program, and was deeply involved in Hezbollah's military strategy against Israel. He had close ties with senior military leaders within the group. Qubaisi played a key role in Hezbollah's 2000 Mount Dov operation, which involved the abduction of three Israeli soldiers. The soldiers were later found dead, and their bodies were returned in a 2004 prisoner exchange. His involvement in that high-profile attack cemented his status within Hezbollah's military wing. |
