The Israel Defense Forces killed a squad commander in the special operations unit of Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon on Tuesday, the IDF said.
The IDF statement about the strike in the Aitaroun area against the squad commander did not name the target. Lebanese media identified him as Ali Beizoun. Lebanon’s health ministry said that one person was killed in the strike and three others were wounded, including a child.
The strike occurred amid high tension in Lebanon between Hezbollah, Israel and the Lebanese army.
The Iranian-backed terrorist group has publicly expressed readiness to enter talks with the Lebanese government on a “national defense strategy,” a move interpreted by some as an attempt to solidify its political role without relinquishing its arms.
Thousands of Hezbollah fighters, as well as the group’s top command, have been killed in an 11-month conflict with Israel that Hezbollah initiated on Oct. 8, 2023. In late November, Hezbollah entered a ceasefire under whose terms it would need to leave Southern Lebanon while Israeli troops were deployed there. The strike was in a part of Lebanon where Hezbollah was supposed to have evacuated under the ceasefire.
Israel has launched several deadly strikes against Hezbollah since then, citing Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire. It has nonetheless held. On Saturday, an IDF reservist was wounded and evacuated for treatment in Israel after stepping on a landmine, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said.
Lebanese officials, including those affiliated with the anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces Party, demand the group’s full disarmament in compliance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
Despite these calls, Hezbollah has categorically rejected any discussion of disarmament. A senior figure in the group’s political wing recently stated that there would be “no disarmament, no handover of weapons and no compromise.” The United States has also reiterated its position that all militias, including Hezbollah, must be disarmed to ensure Lebanon’s sovereignty and long-term stability.
While most Israeli troops have withdrawn from Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces continue to hold several key positions in the south. Israeli officials insist these will only be relinquished once the Lebanese Armed Forces can prove they are capable of securing the area and curbing Hezbollah’s military influence.
