Israel Kills Hezbollah Radwan Commander Ahmad Ghaleb Balout in Beirut Strike

Israel said it killed a commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force in an airstrike on Beirut a day earlier, the first Israeli attack on the Lebanese capital since a ceasefire agreed last month.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the IDF killed Radwan special forces commander Ahmad Ghaleb Balout in a precision strike in Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood on Wednesday, saying he was directing dozens of attacks against Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.

Al Jazeera

France 24 said the strike “raised pressure on the ceasefire” that had halted Israeli attacks on Beirut, even as Israeli forces remained deployed in areas south of the Litani River and continued to carry out strikes in southern Lebanon.

Euronews reported that at least 11 other people were killed in strikes across the south and east, citing the Lebanese health ministry, and that Beirut and its southern suburbs had been spared Israeli attacks since 8 April when massive Israeli strikes across the country killed more than 350 people.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the strike against Balout “in the heart of Beirut” and said, “This is the same senior terrorist who led the plan to conquer the North.”

Netanyahu also told reporters, “No terrorist has immunity,” adding that “Anyone who threatens the State of Israel will pay the price.”

Al Jazeera

The Jerusalem Post said Hezbollah had not forcibly retaliated by press time, and it described the group as downplaying the event to avoid a return to all-out war.

Noovo Info reported that Netanyahu released a video saying “No terrorist has immunity,” and it said the Israeli army canceled public events planned for Thursday in northern Israel near the Lebanese border due to fears of possible retaliation.

France 24 said the airstrike was the first Israeli attack on Beirut since a ceasefire agreed last month, and it described the strike as raising pressure on that ceasefire.

“BEIRUT: Israel said on Thursday it had killed a commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force in an airstrike on Beirut a day earlier, the first Israeli attack on the Lebanese capital since a ceasefire agreed last month”

Arab News

Euronews said Beirut’s southern suburbs had not returned despite the truce in force since 17 April, and it reported that Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon, particularly the south, since the truce with Hezbollah retaliating by launching attacks on Israeli troops.

The Jerusalem Post said the IDF would continue to act against the Radwan Force’s efforts to restore its strength, and it added that it has killed more than 220 Hezbollah operatives since the ceasefire went into effect.

Euronews also reported that World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he had “verified 152 attacks on healthcare that resulted in 103 deaths and 241 injuries,” with those attacks leading to the closure of three hospitals and 41 primary health centres.