Israeli strike in Beirut kills top Hezbollah commander

Israel says it has killed a top Hezbollah commander in a strike on Beirut yesterday, fuelling fears of an all-out war on the IsraeliLebanon border. Israeli military said that Ibrahim Aqi Aqil, who served on Hezbollah's top military body and was the acting commander of the group's elite Radwan force, was killed along with other senior commanders of the unit.

- TOM WATLING

Lebanese health authorities said at least 12 people were killed and 66 more wounded in the attack which destroyed a number of residential apartments.

The strike inflicted another blow on Hezbollah after the group suffered an unprecedented attack earlier this week in which pagers and walkie-talkies used by its members exploded, killing at least 37 people and wounding more than 3,000. That attack was widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

A previous Israeli strike on Beirut in July killed senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr. Another strike in January also targeted senior Hezbollah personnel.

Aqil is believed to have been involved in two Hezbollah bombings on the US embassy in Beirut and the US Marine Corps barracks which killed more than 300 people. Last year Washington put a $7m bounty on his head for any information leading to his location, arrest or conviction.

A thick cloud of smoke could be seen rising over the southern part of the city late yesterday as footage showed dozens of cars destroyed and debris carpeting the street outside several damaged high-rise buildings.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said he was not aware of any Israeli notification to the United States before the Beirut strike, adding that US citizens were strongly urged not to travel to Lebanon, or to leave if they are already there. The UK has made the same plea. The foreign secretary, David Lammy, chaired a meeting yesterday to discuss preparations to evacuate remaining Britons from Lebanon if required.