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Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander in an airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday, the Israeli military and two security sources in Lebanon said, sharply escalating the year-long conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed group.

Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah operations commander killed in an Israeli strike on Friday, had a $7 million bounty on his head for two 1983 Beirut truck bombings that killed more than 300 people at the American embassy and a U.S. Marines barracks. Two security sources in Lebanon confirmed the veteran fighter was killed in an airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs during a meeting of the elite Radwan unit of the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group. Aqil, who has also used the aliases Tahsin and Abdelqader, was the second member of Hezbollah's top military body, the Jihad Council, to be killed in two months after an Israeli strike in the same area targeted Fuad Shukr in July.

Israel hit a Beirut suburb with an airstrike Friday, not long after Hezbollah pounded northern Israel with 140 rockets following a vow by the militant group's leader Hassan Nasrallah to retaliate against Israel for a mass bombing attack, the Israeli military and the militant group said. The Israeli military said it had carried out a «targeted strike» in Beirut. It offered no further immediate details, but explosions could be heard coming from the city's southern suburbs. Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV reported that a drone fired several missiles on the heavily-populated area known as Dahiyeh. A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, confirmed to The Associated Press that an airstrike struck the area, without giving further details.

Qatar Airways has prohibited all passengers flying from Beirut Rafic Harirl International Airport (BEY) from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on board flights. The airlines said that the restriction applies to checked and carry-on luggage, as well as cargo, and will be enforced until further notice. In a post on X, Qatar Airways stated, «Effective immediately: Following the directive received from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of the Republic of Lebanon, all passengers flying from Beirut Rafic Harirl International Airport (BEY) are prohibited from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on board flights. The ban applies to both checked and carry-on luggage, as well as cargo, and will be enforced until further notice.»

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. BEIRUT—At 3:25 p.m. Tuesday, two members of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah were eating lunch at a shopping mall in the Lebanese capital when the pager one of the men was carrying exploded, leaving him severely injured and bleeding from the arms and eyes.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. BEIRUT—A picture began to emerge Wednesday of a highly complex attack carried out by Israel, after thousands of pagers carried by members of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah exploded around the same time a day earlier. Many of the affected pagers were from a new shipment that Hezbollah had received recently, part of a nearly yearlong process to swap out older devices.

Hezbollah members across Lebanon were caught off guard when their pagers detonated, resulting in widespread casualties. The devices, which were embedded with hidden explosives by Israeli operatives, caused the deaths of at least nine people and injured over 2,800, according to reports. The pagers were originally intended for Hezbollah’s communication network but were turned into instruments of destruction through a covert Israeli operation. The attacks were centered in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, and the eastern Bekaa Valley, where explosions began around 3:30 p.m. local time and lasted for about an hour. Footage showed scenes of chaos as fighters and civilians collapsed on the streets, suffering injuries to their faces, fingers, and abdomens. Hospitals across Lebanon were overwhelmed with victims bearing wounds consistent with the placement of the pagers.

Israel's Mossad spy agency planted a small amount of explosives inside 5,000 Taiwan-made pagers ordered by Lebanese group Hezbollah months before Tuesday's detonations, a senior Lebanese security source and another source told Reuters. The operation was an unprecedented Hezbollah security breach that saw thousands of pagers detonate across Lebanon, killing nine people and wounding nearly 3,000 others, including the group's fighters and Iran's envoy to Beirut. Iran-backed Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel, whose military declined to comment on the blasts.

Reports are claiming that this wave of Pager explosion has killed around 8 people and more than 200 people are in critical condition, said the Health Ministry of Lebanon adding that most of the victims have suffered injuries on their hands and legs primarily. Times of India noted that Lebanon authorities are still in search for the cause behind this series of explosion which took place on the southern suburbs of Beirut creating widespread panic and fear amongst the civilians. Also Read: By how much will the Fed slash rates by? Here's how the move will matter world markets

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Hezbollah, which has been trading fire with Israel since the start of the war in Gaza on Oct. 7 between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas. Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones against Israel on Sunday in retaliation for the assassination of a commander in Beirut, the Iranian-backed movement said. The Israel military said it had thwarted a much larger attack with pre-emptive strikes.

The ferocious exchange of fire by Hezbollah and the Israeli military is raising fears of a regional war beyond the tense border

Israel launched a series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon in the early hours of August 25, targeting Hezbollah in what it described as a pre-emptive strike. In response, militant group Hezbollah claimed to have launched hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders the previous month. This heavy exchange of fire deepened tension that a big conflict could soon begin that could involve the US, Iran and a number of militant groups in the region. By mid-morning, the exchange of attacks appeared to have ended, with both sides stating that they had focused their strikes on military targets. However, the situation remained tense, and the full extent of the casualties and damage was not immediately known. At least three people were reported killed in the strikes on Lebanon.

Lebanon's Hezbollah has drawn on a greatly expanded arsenal during more than 10 months of cross-border hostilities with Israel. One of the world's most heavily armed non-state groups, it says it has used just a small part of its weaponry so far. It launched hundreds of rockets and drones against Israel on Sunday in retaliation for the assassination of a senior commander in Beirut last month, the Iranian-backed movement said. The Israeli military said it had thwarted a much larger attack with pre-emptive strikes. Here are some facts about Hezbollah's weapons:

Hezbollah and Israeli forces has killed senior commanders and several hundred fighters from the Iran-backed group, causing destruction and displacing tens of thousands on both sides. Hezbollah has seen more fighters killed since October than when it last went to war with Israel in the summer of 2006. AFP looks at the mounting toll for the Shiite Muslim movement, which has been trading near-daily fire with the Israeli army in support of Hamas since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.

Donald Trump spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and discussed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, Axios reported, citing two U.S. sources. One source told Axios Trump's call was intended to encourage Netanyahu to take the deal, but stressed he did not know if this is indeed what the former president told Netanyahu. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Late last month, Netanyahu visited the U.S. and met President Joe Biden, Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Republican former President Trump.

geopolitical risks as the war in Gaza drags on, and kept the rating outlook negative, meaning a further downgrade is possible. The ratings agency expects the Israeli government to permanently increase military spending by close to 1.5% of GDP versus pre-war levels, putting upward pressure on the country's budget deficit and debt levels. «In our view, the conflict in Gaza could last well into 2025 and there are risks of it broadening to other fronts,» the ratings agency said in a statement.

Egypt’s Civil Aviation Ministry says it's ordered Egyptian airlines to avoid Iranian airspace for three hours on Thursday after a notice from Tehran to do so because of military exercises

Hamas named its Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar as successor to former political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran last week, the group said on Tuesday, in a move that reinforces the radical path pursued since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Sinwar, the architect of the most devastating attack on Israel in decades, has been in hiding in Gaza, defying Israeli attempts to kill him since the start of the war. «The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas announces the selection of Commander Yahya Sinwar as the head of the political bureau of the movement, succeeding the martyr Commander Ismail Haniyeh, may Allah have mercy on him,» the movement said in a brief statement.