- Ibrahim Kubaisi, the commander in charge of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile forces, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s Dahiyah suburb. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed his death, saying Kubaisi had been a central figure in Hezbollah’s missile capabilities for decades.
- The airstrike came after fierce cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel, in which the militant group fired nearly 300 rockets at northern Israeli cities including Haifa, Safed and Nazareth. Israeli air raid sirens sounded in the Galilee region.
- In addition to Qubaisi, the IDF claimed that at least two other high-ranking Hezbollah commanders were killed in the strike. These leaders were involved in Hezbollah’s missile operations, which have become a threat to Israel.
- Hezbollah issued a statement acknowledging Kubaisi’s death, calling him a “martyr on the road to Jerusalem,” a term they use for fighters killed by Israeli forces.
- A veteran of Hezbollah, Kubaisi joined the group in the 1980s. Over the years, he commanded various missile and rocket units, including the precision-guided missile program, and was deeply involved in Hezbollah’s military strategy against Israel. He had close ties with senior military leaders within the group.
- Qubaisi played a key role in Hezbollah’s 2000 Mount Dove operation, in which three Israeli soldiers were kidnapped. The soldiers were later found dead and their bodies were returned during a prisoner swap in 2004. His involvement in that high-profile attack solidified his position in Hezbollah’s military wing.
- Lebanon’s health ministry said six civilians were also killed and 15 others wounded in an airstrike on the suburb of Dahiyah. It is part of a wider escalation that has claimed hundreds of lives in Lebanon in recent days, most of them caused by Israeli airstrikes.
- Tuesday’s missile exchange follows an escalation of violence between Israel and Hezbollah since the outbreak of the Gaza War in October 2023. There are growing concerns that it could escalate into a full-blown war involving multiple fronts across the Middle East, which could involve Iran-backed groups from Yemen and Iraq.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that Lebanon was on the brink of disaster, while US President Joe Biden urged both sides to avoid escalating the conflict.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained his stance and vowed to continue attacking Hezbollah military targets in Lebanon. “We will continue to attack Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said. He said any house harboring missiles would be destroyed.
