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Israel targeted the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force in Beirut on May 6, in the first such strike on the Lebanese capital since the start of the ceasefire.
Shortly after the strike hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement saying, “The IDF has just struck in Beirut the commander of the Radwan Force in the Hezbollah terror organization to eliminate him.”
“No terrorist has immunity, Israel’s long arm will reach every enemy and murderer. We promised to bring security to the residents of the north. This is how we act, and this is how we will continue to act,” they added.
The next day, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that Ahmed Ghaleb Balout, the Radwan Force commander, was killed. The IDF also published footage of the strike.
The military said that for years, Balout held several roles in the Radwan Force, including previously serving as its chief of operations.
During the war and recently, Balout directed “dozens” of attacks against IDF troops in southern Lebanon, including anti-tank guided missile fire and explosives, it added.
The IDF also claimed that Balout had “advanced efforts to restore the capabilities of the Radwan Force unit, particularly the implementation of the ‘Conquer the Galilee’ plan,” referring to the group’s plans to invade northern Israel, which did not materialize.
Hezbollah has not yet commented on the Israeli claims. However, a source close to the group told AFP right after the strike on Beirut that “Malek Balout, the operations commander in the Radwan Force,” was killed, apparently referring to the same commander
Separately, the IDF said that two more prominent Hezbollah commanders were killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon on May 6.
They were identified by the military as Muhammad Ali Bazi, chief of intelligence in Hezbollah’s Nasr regional division; and Hussein Hassan Romani, head of aerial defense in the group.
“These commanders worked to advance and carry out terror attack plans against IDF troops and Israeli citizens,” the military said.
The IDF claims that it had killed over 220 Hezbollah fighters who had posed a threat to troops and Israeli civilians since the start of the ceasefire in Lebanon on April 16.
Israel also took losses after the start of the ceasefire. Four soldiers and one civilian defense contractor were killed. Dozens of military vehicles were also destroyed or damaged. Most of the losses took place in southern Lebanon, where the IDF is holding into a security zone including dozens of towns. The losses were mainly caused by Hezbollah’s drone units.
The assassination of the Radwan Force commander will not likely intimidate Hezbollah, or affect its command and control network.
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