A senior Hezbollah commander from the elite Radwan unit was killed in an Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Wednesday night, AFP reported.
Citing a source, the report said that “Malek Ballout, an operational commander in the Radwan forces” was killed. The attack is the first in the area in almost a month.
Israeli Prime Minister on the death of Radwan Force Commander
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military had targeted “the commander of the Radwan Hezbollah forces.” In a post on X, he added: “I have ordered together with Defense Minister Israel Katz to strike now in Beirut the commander of the Radwan forces in the Hezbollah terrorist organization to neutralize him. The Radwan terrorists are responsible for firing on Israeli settlements and harming IDF soldiers. No terrorist is immune – the long arm of Israel will reach every one of these enemies and murderers in the north – this is promised how security in the north is done. how it will be done!”
Israel attacks Lebanon
According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, Israeli warplanes launched an attack targeting Ghobeiri in the southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah.
Beirut and its southern suburbs have been spared Israeli attacks since April 8 after massive strikes across the country resulted in the deaths of more than 350 people.
The attack on Hezbollah commander Radwan came as US President Donald Trump said there was a “very good chance” of a peace deal with Iran.
Read also | Trump dropped an explosive ultimatum: “The bombing begins” if Iran rejects the deal
While the ceasefire went into effect on April 17, Israel repeatedly bombed Lebanon, especially southern Lebanon, with Hezbollah retaliating against Israeli troops.
According to Reuters, the Israeli attack was the first since Tel Aviv agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last month. While Iran and the United States say they are nearing a deal to end their conflict, the strikes threaten a ceasefire that has halted Israeli attacks on Beirut. Israeli troops remained in areas south of the Litani River and attacks continued in southern Lebanon.
Earlier on Wednesday, Tel Aviv urged residents to evacuate several villages north of the Litani River in what could represent an expansion of Israel’s action zone.
Talks between Israel and Lebanon continue
According to reports, while talks between Israel and Lebanon have continued, they have largely remained at the level of ambassadors.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said earlier today that it was premature to talk of any high-level meeting between Beirut and Tel Aviv, adding that support for a ceasefire would be the basis for any new talks between Lebanese and Israeli government envoys in Washington.
Last month, Washington hosted two meetings between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the US. On April 23, Trump announced a three-week extension of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, adding that he looked forward to hosting Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the near future and that he saw a “high chance” that the countries would reach a peace deal this year.
Read also | Trump announces 3-week extension of Israel-Lebanon ceasefire: ‘Talks went well’
Lebanon drawn into war in the Middle East
According to reports, Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2, two days after the US and Israel launched a war against its backer, Iran. Hezbollah attacked Israel in support of the Islamic Republic.
Since then, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,700 people, displacing more than a million, mainly from southern and eastern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
