Hezbollah missile commander targeted in Beirut strike

The strike represents a notable shift after weeks in which Israel avoided striking Beirut despite escalating hostilities along the northern border.

By World Israel News Staff

The IDF carried out a targeted strike in Beirut on Thursday for the first time in 22 days, reportedly targeting Ali al-Hassani, the missile commander of Hezbollah’s Imam Hussein Division.

The Israeli Air Force confirmed it conducted a precision strike in the Dahiyeh district of southern Beirut, Hezbollah’s primary stronghold in the Lebanese capital. According to an Israeli official cited by Channel 13 News, al-Hassani was inside an apartment at the time of the strike. Israeli security officials were reportedly still assessing whether the operation successfully eliminated him.

The Imam Hussein Division is an Iranian-backed formation established by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force. While originally created in Syria to combat ISIS, the group has increasingly served as a support arm for Hezbollah in Lebanon and includes fighters from Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

The strike represented a notable shift after weeks in which Israel avoided striking Beirut despite escalating hostilities along the northern border and mounting pressure to respond more forcefully to Hezbollah attacks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this week that Israel intended to intensify operations against Hezbollah, declaring that the military would “increase the blows and increase the intensity” against the terror group.

Israeli officials had also warned that Hezbollah’s continued drone attacks on northern Israel could eventually prompt strikes in Beirut itself, particularly in the Dahiyeh district, long considered Hezbollah’s operational hub.

At the same time, Israeli media reports indicated the United States had urged Israel to avoid major strikes in Beirut out of concern they could disrupt broader regional diplomacy, including ongoing negotiations involving Iran and U.S.-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon.

Although tensions surged earlier in the week, the Lebanese capital remained untouched while the IDF concentrated its operations on southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Thursday’s strike appeared to mark the first significant breach of that restraint.

BeirutHezbollahIsraeli strike