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Israeli Airstrike in Beirut Kills Top Hezbollah Terror Commander
An explosion takes place as Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Zibqin, Lebanon, Aug. 25, 2024, in this still image obtained from a video. Photo: Reuters TV via REUTERS
JNS.org — A targeted strike by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Beirut on Friday reportedly killed senior Hezbollah terrorist Ibrahim Aqil — alias Al-Hajj Abdul Khader — in the predominately Shi’ite Dahiyeh neighborhood.
Aqil was a member of Hezbollah’s top “military” body, the Jihad Council, which is subordinate to the Shura Council and under the direct control of terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah.
He was also responsible for the Radwan Force commandos in the Swords of Iron War and led Hezbollah’s tunnel project in Lebanon.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said that the Biden administration was not informed of the strike ahead of time.
The United States had offered a $7 million bounty for Aqil.
In July, the Israeli Air Force struck in Beirut, killing Fuad Shukr, also known as al-Hajj Mohsin, a senior member of the Jihad Council who was responsible for the 1983 bombing that killed 241 US troops in the Lebanese capital.
In January, an Israeli drone strike on an office in Beirut eliminated Saleh al-Arouri, the commander of Hamas operations in Judea and Samaria and the terrorist group’s deputy politburo chief.
Edging towards full-blown war
Earlier on Friday, the IDF hit several buildings, a weapons depot, and more than 100 loaded, ready-to-fire rocket launchers belonging to Hezbollah across southern Lebanon, in one of the most significant attacks since the Iranian proxy opened a front against Israel in support of Hamas in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 massacre.
The Israeli strikes were launched in several waves throughout the afternoon following a heavy barrage of some 150 rockets from Lebanon.
Israel has been conducting waves of strikes since dozens of Hezbollah terrorists were killed earlier this week when their communications devices were remotely detonated in coordinated attacks attributed to Jerusalem.
On Tuesday, at least 12 Hezbollah terrorists were killed and some 3,000 wounded across Lebanon when their pagers exploded. The terrorist organization said it held Israel “fully responsible” and vowed revenge.
According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, at least 25 Hezbollah operatives were killed and 450 wounded on Wednesday when their hand-held walkie-talkies exploded.
Nasrallah acknowledged on Thursday that Hezbollah had suffered an unparalleled defeat, saying that the alleged Israeli attacks amounted to a declaration of war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem that the current circumstances in the Galilee and the Golan “will not continue.”
He called for a “change in the balance of forces on our northern border,” amid daily attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon while pledging to do “whatever is necessary” to return evacuated residents safely to their homes.
Netanyahu spoke days after he ordered the military to prepare for a broad campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed terrorist army.
His instructions were given during a security-strategic discussion on Sept. 12 with the heads of the security establishment, including Defense Minster Yoav Gallant, along with Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
On Wednesday, Gallant said that the IDF had entered a new stage in the conflict against Iran’s regional terrorist proxies.
“I believe that we are at the beginning of a new period in this war,” he declared, speaking at the Ramat David Airbase near Haifa.
“The center of gravity is moving to the north. This means that we are moving forces, resources, and energy to the north,” the defense minister said. “We did not forget the hostages, and we did not forget our missions in the south. This is our duty, and we carry it out simultaneously.”
Hours later, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi approved “attack and defense plans for the north,” the army said. “We still have many capabilities that we have not yet activated, I repeat, we have not yet activated,” he said.
“The rule is that every time we work on a certain stage, the next two stages are already ready to advance. At each stage, the price for Hezbollah must be high,” Halevi added.
The post Israeli Airstrike in Beirut Kills Top Hezbollah Terror Commander first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.