Hezbollah on Tuesday, September 24, confirmed the death of one of its top commanders, Ibrahim Kobeisi, who was killed in an Israeli strike in a southern Beirut suburb.
The strike hit three floors of a six-story building. It was Israel’s third strike over Beirut in less than a week
Kobeisi is the first member of the militant group pronounced dead since Israel and Hezbollah entered a more intense phase of the ongoing conflict. Israel said Kobeisi was a top Hezbollah commander with the group’s rocket and missile unit. Israeli military officials said Kobeisi was responsible for launches towards Israel and planned a 2000 attack in which three Israeli soldiers were kidnapped and killed.
It was the latest in a string of assassinations and setbacks for Hezbollah, the strongest political and military actor in Lebanon and widely considered the top paramilitary force in the Arab world.
UK urges British nationals to ‘leave Lebanon immediately’
Israel and Hezbollah traded heavy fire on Tuesday, defying international calls for de-escalation during a second day of clashes that Lebanon said claimed hundreds of lives.
Lebanon said Israeli strikes killed at least 558 people on Monday, the deadliest day of violence in the country since its 1975-90 civil war. Hezbollah claimed 18 attacks on Israel on Tuesday, while the Israeli military said the Iran-backed group fired about 300 rockets across the border.
The number of displaced Lebanese has soared to nearly 500,000 since Israel ramped up its military campaign against Hezbollah, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib also said Tuesday.
Britain’s foreign ministry said late Tuesday that it was sending military teams to Cyprus as it prepares “contingency plans” for its citizens in Lebanon as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah rages.
“Around 700 UK troops will move to Cyprus in the coming hours,” the ministry said, urging British nationals to “leave Lebanon immediately”.