The explosions of Sept.27, 2024, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, viewed from the Mansourieh valley. (Credit: L'Orient Today)
Hezbollah confirmed Sunday the death of Ali Karaki, one of its commanders known as Abou el-Fadl, during the Israeli airstrike on the Haret Hreik suburb of Beirut on Friday. The strike also killed Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and several leaders of the party.
Karaki was a key figure in Hezbollah's military operations since the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, according to a statement from the Iranian-backed group.
Ali Karaki played a crucial role in leading the southern front against Israel, of which he was the head, particularly during the Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon in 2000 and the war between the Jewish state and Hezbollah in 2006, the text adds. His death is a significant loss for Hezbollah, which hailed him as a ''blessed martyr.''
Karaki had previously been targeted by Israel twice and had survived: on Feb.8 in the town of Nabatieh in South Lebanon, while he was in a car with another commander, who was subsequently killed on Sept.23 in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
