A strike on a suburb of Lebanon’s capital killed Ibrahim Aqil, a prominent Hezbollah leader, Hezbollah and Israel’s military said Friday. The rare airstrike on Lebanon’s capital left at least 14 people dead, and destroyed one residential building while also damaging another, Lebanese health and civil defense officials said.
The attack also killed several other Hezbollah members, including commander Ahmed Wehbe, escalating a days-long Israeli assault on Hezbollah amid fears of all-out war. Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah vowed retaliation Thursday against Israel for detonations of electronic devices that killed at least 37 people this week and left thousands injured.
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meeting Friday of the U.N. Security Council on the unraveling situation in the Middle East was sharply focused on Lebanon, with representatives raising alarm bells over the escalation of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
“The risk of further expansion of this cycle of violence is extremely serious, and poses a grave threat to the stability of Lebanon, Israel and the whole region,” said Rosemary DiCarlo, undersecretary general for political and peace-building affairs, of the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. She urged all actors to “exercise maximum restraint.”
Speaking of the waves of explosions of electronic devices across Lebanon that local health officials said killed 37 and injured thousands this week, DiCarlo said hospitals were “working around-the-clock to help the wounded.”
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“Lebanese society, old and young, have been in profound shock and panic,” she said.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called the attacks a “new development in warfare,” adding that international humanitarian law protects the equality and dignity of every person, even in times of war.
“Simultaneously targeting thousands of individuals, whether civilians or members of armed groups, without knowledge as to who was in possession of the targeted devices, their location and their surroundings at the time of attack, violates international human rights law,” Türk said.
Representing the United States, Robert Wood, alternative representative for special political affairs, called on the council to support diplomatic efforts that would restore calm. Wood also accused Iran of enabling Hezbollah to “undermine regional security in a way that puts the Lebanese people in danger.”
“Every member of this council has a responsibility to help Lebanon’s people avoid further tragedy,” Wood said.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib addressed the room, saying the Security Council had a responsibility “not only toward the innocent Lebanese who fell unjustly, but also toward all of humanity.”
“No one in this world is safe anymore after the recent cyberattacks in Lebanon that exceeded imagination and perception,” he said.
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