Israel Bombs Beirut Southern Suburbs, Targeting Hezbollah Radwan Commander Malek Balou

Israeli forces bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs as they targeted a Hezbollah commander, with Israel saying it assassinated Malek Balou, a commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force.

“Israeli forces have bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs and claim to have assassinated Malek Balou, a commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force”

Al Jazeera

The attack was reported by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency as “Israeli warplanes launched an attack, targeting Ghobeiri” in the southern suburbs, where a loud explosion and extensive damage were reported.

Al Jazeera

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the strike, saying he and Defence Minister Israel Katz had instructed the army to carry out the attack.

“Radwan terrorists are responsible for shooting at Israeli settlements and harming [Israeli army] soldiers.

No terrorist has immunity – Israel’s long hand will catch every enemy and murderer,” Netanyahu said in a post on Telegram.

The strike came as the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah had been in force since April 17, and Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto said there was “cautious calm” in the southern suburbs and it was “this is the first strike on the capital’s southern suburbs since April 9.”

Hitto described an “unspoken agreement that Beirut would not be targeted during this ceasefire,” while Israel reserved the right to target other places it said posed threats to national security.

Al-Bayader

The Washington Post said the airstrike threatened “the already shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah mediated by the United States in mid-April,” and described people checking into Beirut hotels as they returned to the southern suburbs.

The Washington Post also reported that the target appeared to be a 10-story building in the Haret Hreik neighborhood next to a school, with photos showing half the building leveled and excavator machines digging beneath the rubble.

The sources frame the Beirut strike as part of a broader fight that has already killed thousands and could further pressure diplomacy, with Al Jazeera saying Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 2,700 people since March 2, including dozens since the April 17 ceasefire.

The Washington Post added that the attack threatened a ceasefire mediated by the United States in mid-April, while Israel and Hezbollah continued exchanging fire in southern Lebanon.

In parallel, the Al Jazeera report said Hezbollah has not yet responded to Israel’s claim that it assassinated Malek Balou, leaving the immediate political and military response uncertain.

The Washington Post described the Radwan Forces as Hezbollah’s elite fighting unit and said the attack targeted a commander whose unit was meeting when the strike happened at around 20:00 local time (18:00 BST).