BEIRUT, Sept 24: A source close to Lebanon's Hezbollah said an Israeli strike on south Beirut killed Ibrahim Kobeissi, who Israel said was one of the Iran-backed group's top commanders, with authorities reporting six dead.
It was the second strike on the Hezbollah stronghold in as many days after Israel launched extensive raids Monday in Lebanon's south and east, killing more than 550 people and sending tensions soaring.
"The Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs killed Hezbollah military commander Ibrahim Kobeissi," the source told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Earlier, Israel's army said it "eliminated Ibrahim Mohammed Kobeissi, the commander of the missile and rocket network of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation".
The military said Kobeissi commanded several rocket units, including a precision-guided missile unit, and was hit along with other commanders of Hezbollah's missiles and rockets force.
"Kobeissi was an important source of knowledge in the field of missiles and had close ties with senior Hezbollah military leaders," it said.
He had joined Hezbollah in the 1980s and held several military positions, including command of the Badr unit, one of Hezbollah's three zones of operations in Lebanon's south, the military added. —AFP
