Israel Kills Hezbollah Radwan Commander Malek Ballout in Beirut Airstrike

Israel carried out an airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburb on Wednesday evening, the first attack on the Lebanese capital in nearly a month, targeting a commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force.

“In the first strike on the Lebanese capital Beirut since the ceasefire took effect, Israel launched an airstrike on the Haret Hreik area in the southern suburbs of Beirut, targeting the commander of the Radwan Force affiliated with Hezbollah, Malik Blout, amid Israeli assessments of the assassination's success”

Al-Jazeera Net

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the operation aimed “to eliminate him,” in a joint statement relayed by i24NEWS.

Al-Jazeera Net

The strike came after the ceasefire with Lebanon came into effect on April 16, and it followed a period in which Beirut and its suburbs had not been targeted since April 8.

Ici Beyrouth reported that Netanyahu ordered, together with Katz, an airstrike in the southern suburb of Beirut to “neutralize him,” with Radwan fighters described as responsible for firing at Israeli settlements and injuring IDF soldiers.

The Israeli army radio confirmed the target in Dahiyé as Malek Ballout, commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan unit, and said he was killed, according to a Hezbollah-linked source told to AFP.

Israeli officials framed the operation as a direct response to attacks, with i24NEWS quoting a communiqué saying “these terrorists were responsible for fire against Israeli towns and attacks against soldiers.”

CNN Arabic reported that an Israeli official told CNN the strike was coordinated in advance with the United States, while also noting that the joint statement with Defense Minister Yisrael Katz did not definitively confirm the target’s death.

Anadolu Ajansı

Ici Beyrouth said the Israeli army radio confirmed Malek Ballout was killed, while also adding that contrary to initial reports, the deputy commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan force was not at the scene and was not killed alongside the commander.

Sky News Arabia said the Israeli army did not publicly disclose the target’s identity at the time, and that initial Israeli assessments “may have killed the targeted commander,” while Hezbollah had not issued official confirmation.

The same Sky News Arabia account described “fears of the confrontation widening” as attacks resumed in the southern suburb, and it said details of the raid and its outcomes remained under review awaiting official statements from the Lebanese side.

Beyond the Beirut strike, Radio-Canada reported that at least 11 people were killed on Wednesday in strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, citing the Health Ministry, and it described a strike on Saksakiyeh between Sidon and Tyre that left 4 dead and 33 injured, including 6 children.

“(CNN) — Israel targeted a prominent Hezbollah commander on Wednesday evening in the first airstrike on Beirut since the ceasefire in Lebanon”

CNN Arabic

L’Orient-Le Jour cited the Lebanese Health Ministry saying Israeli strikes have killed at least 2,702 people and wounded 8,311 since March 2, and it tied the new Beirut targeting to a ceasefire that took effect on April 17 while Israel continued strikes in the south and east.

In Beirut, the Israeli political leadership ordered the operation, according to Daily Beirut, with a senior official cited by Kan saying the target had given instructions “to violate the ceasefire in force and to launch attacks against Israel.”

Radio-Canada also reported that Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said, “We will seize every opportunity to continue dismantling Hezbollah and weaken it further,” as Israel continued operations despite the truce.

With the strike occurring as U.S.

President Donald Trump said he saw “good chances” of a peace agreement with Iran, the sources describe a volatile environment in which diplomatic efforts and military pressure run in parallel.