Netanyahu says Israel targeted Hezbollah commander in Beirut strike

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israeli forces carried out a strike in Beirut targeting a senior Hezbollah commander, whom he accused of directing attacks on Israeli territory and troops.

In a statement posted on social media, Netanyahu said he and Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military “to strike now in Beirut” against the commander of the Radwan Force, an elite unit within the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, with the aim of “neutralising him”.

He claimed the Radwan Force was responsible for attacks on Israeli settlements and for harming soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), adding that Israel’s military action was a response to ongoing security threats.

“Israel’s long arm will reach every enemy and murderer,” Netanyahu wrote, adding: “This is how it’s done and this is how it will be done.”

The Israeli military has not released full operational details of the strike, while there has been no immediate independent confirmation of the target’s status or casualties on the ground in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The latest strike comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, with cross-border exchanges of fire continuing alongside wider regional instability linked to the conflict involving Iran-backed groups.

Source: BBC News