BEIRUT, Lebanon: A senior commander from the Radwan Force of Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday, AFP reported, citing a source close to the group.
The source, cited by AFP, said Malek Ballout, an operations commander in the Radwan Force, was killed in the Israeli attack.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had targeted a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
In a joint statement with Defence Minister Israel Katz, Netanyahu said Israeli forces had “struck in Beirut to target the commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force in an attempt to neutralise him”.
In a statement on X, Netanyahu said Radwan fighters under his command were responsible for attacks on Israeli communities and soldiers, though it did not name the commander.
Netanyahu also said that he had ordered the strike.
הנחיתי יחד עם שר הביטחון ישראל כ"ץ לתקוף כעת בביירות את מפקד כוח רדואן בארגון הטרור חיזבאללה כדי להביא לסיכולו.
מחבלי רדואן אחראים לירי לעבר יישובים ישראלים ופגיעה בחיילי צה"ל.
לאף מחבל אין חסינות – ידה הארוכה של ישראל תשיג כל אויב ומרצח.
הבטחנו להביא ביטחון לתושבי הצפון – כך…
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 6, 2026
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli warplanes struck the Ghobeiri area in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday evening.
The news agency said the attack caused a loud explosion and significant damage.
It was the first strike on the area since a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict came into force on April 17, the National News Agency reported.
The strike marked a rare escalation in Beirut following weeks of relative calm in the Lebanese capital.
The strike comes amid continued exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah despite the ceasefire agreement in place since mid-April.
Both sides have accused each other of violations.
Israel has continued strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, while Hezbollah has claimed attacks on Israeli forces in northern Israel and along the border.
Earlier on Wednesday, an Israeli strike in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley killed at least four people, according to Lebanese authorities.
Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 2,700 people since March 2, including dozens since the April 17 ceasefire brokered by the United States, health ministry said.
