Lebanon07 May, 20262 min read
Israel Bombs Beirut’s Ghobeiri, Kills Hezbollah Radwan Commander Malek Balou
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Israeli airstrike targets Ghobeiri in Beirut's suburbs, aiming at Hezbollah Radwan Force commander Malek Balou. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz announced the strike targeting the Radwan Force commander.
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Beirut strike, Hezbollah claim
Israeli forces bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs and claimed they assassinated Malek Balou, a commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force. The attack was described as targeting Ghobeiri, with Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reporting “Israeli warplanes launched an attack, targeting Ghobeiri” as a loud explosion and extensive damage were reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the strike, saying he and Defence Minister Israel Katz had instructed the army to carry out the attack. Netanyahu said, “Radwan terrorists are responsible for shooting at Israeli settlements and harming [Israeli army] soldiers,” and added that “No terrorist has immunity – Israel’s long hand will catch every enemy and murderer,” while Hezbollah had not yet responded to the Israeli claim.
Ceasefire, evacuations, casualties
The Al Jazeera report said the strike was the first attack on Beirut’s southern, predominantly Shia area since a truce in the Israel-Hezbollah war went into force on April 17. Reporting from Tyre, Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto said, “There has been cautious calm since the start of the ceasefire, and this is the first strike on the capital’s southern suburbs since April 9,” and described an “unspoken agreement” that Beirut would not be targeted during the ceasefire.
The same source said Israel and Hezbollah continued trading accusations of violating the ceasefire agreement, while Israeli forces struck Lebanon’s south and east and killed at least 13 people on Wednesday. In parallel, the Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah targets in the south after warning residents of a dozen towns to evacuate, and Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several operations targeting Israeli forces in southern Lebanon as well as attacks on northern Israel.
Regional plots and next moves
Beyond Beirut, The Long War Journal said Syria reported neutralizing a Hezbollah-linked plot to assassinate senior officials, with Syrian forces arresting 11 militants across Aleppo, Rif Dimashq, Homs, Latakia, and Tartus Governorates. It said the cell crossed into Syria “after receiving intensive specialized training in Lebanon” and planned imminent “sabotage operations, including targeted assassinations of senior government officials.”
The same report described Syria as routinely interdicting Hezbollah-linked weapon shipments destined for Lebanon since December 2024, including stopping the smuggling of 6,000 explosive detonators on April 16, 2026, one day before the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire formally took effect. In the Israeli account of the Beirut operation, Netanyahu and Israel Katz said the strike targeted the commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force with the aim of eliminating him, and the joint statement warned, “No terrorist has immunity; the long arm of Israel will reach every enemy and murderer,” while saying Israel would continue acting against those who harm its civilians and soldiers.