Beirut, Sep 21 (IANS): Lebanon's Hezbollah on Friday night mourned the acting commander of its Elite Radwan Force, Ibrahim Akil, who was killed earlier in the day by an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs.

"Today, the great jihadist leader Ibrahim Akil joined the procession of his brothers, the great martyr leaders, after a blessed life full of jihad, work, wounds, sacrifices, risks, challenges, achievements, and victories," read a statement released late Friday by Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, the local MTV channel reported that the body of Akil was found along with seven other members of Hezbollah's Elite Radwan Force.

The channel reported earlier that the whole command committee of the Elite Radwan Force was meeting in the building that was targeted by the Israeli airstrike.

Civil defence teams are still searching for bodies under the rubble, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the Health Ministry, the Israeli airstrike has killed 14 people and injured 66 others.