Beirut, 20 September 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Ibrahim Aqil, a founding member of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Friday.

Aqil was a high-ranking official in the military wing of the pro-Iranian Shiite organization. Hezbollah has not confirmed Aqil's death.

Other members of the elite Hezbollah Radwan force were reportedly also killed in the attack. Hagari did not provide any further details. Hezbollah has not initially commented.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said earlier on Friday that at least eight people have been killed and 59 injured in an Israeli attack on Beirut.

The United States previously offered a bounty of $7 million for Aqil, while Israel attempted to kill him as early as the 1990s.

According to information from Beirut, Aqil was only discharged from hospital on Friday after being injured in an attack on Hezbollah's electronic devices that has been widely attributed to Israel.

Photo: EPA