Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut, Netanyahu vows to continue ‘with full force’

Tel Aviv: Israel has said it has killed another top Hezbollah commander — Muhammad Hussein Srour, the commander of Hezbollah’s Aerial Command — in a “precise” strike on Beirut.

At least two people were killed, and 15 others were injured in a strike on Dahieh in Beirut, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health on Thursday.

Hezbollah has not yet commented on the death of its commander.

This comes hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will “continue the fighting with full force”.

Sharing a post on X, the IDF wrote, “Eliminated: Commander of Hezbollah’s Aerial Command, Muhammad Hussein Srour, in a precise IAF strike in Beirut.”

The IDF further said that Srour was responsible for advancing numerous aerial terrorist attacks targeting Israeli civilians.

“Srour advanced and directed numerous aerial terrorist attacks aimed at Israeli civilians. During the “Iron Swords” war, he executed several terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers using UAVs and explosive devices,” the post said.

“In recent years, Srour led the manufacturing project of UAVs in southern Lebanon and established UAV manufacturing and intelligence gathering sites in Lebanon, located adjacent to civilian infrastructure in Beirut and southern Lebanon,” the post added.

The IDF also said that Srour’s role extended to the commander of the surface-to-air missile unit, as well as the “Aziz” Unit of the Radwan Force.

It said, “He was also the commander in the surface-to-air missile unit, commander in the “Aziz” Unit of the Radwan Force and Hezbollah’s emissary to Yemen and the Houthi terrorist regime’s Aerial Command.”

At least 23 people were killed — including 19 Syrian refugees — and four others were injured after Israel struck a building on the Syrian-Lebanese border in another strike on Thursday, officials said.

Nearly 700 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since Monday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Strikes this week follow the explosion of pagers and walkie-talkies throughout the country last week.

Netanyahu shot down the possibility of a cease-fire that could end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon after the US and France said they have put a proposal on the table for a 21-day stop in fighting. He also said fighting in Gaza will continue until the goals of the war are achieved.

Despite the proposal on the table, all signs point to Israel preparing for a possible ground invasion into Lebanon.

US President Joe Biden told reporters on Wednesday that there is global support for a 21-day cease-fire proposal that he and other leaders have called for.

“We were able to generate significant support from Europe, as well as the Arab nations. It’s important this war not widen,” Biden told reporters as he returned to the White House on Thursday.

The President was returning from the UN General Assembly, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday to discuss details of a joint statement announcing the proposal, according to senior administration officials.

The Israel Ministry of Defence secured a $8.7 billion US aid package from Washington to support its ongoing military efforts. The package includes $3.5 billion for essential wartime procurement, which has already been transferred, and $5.2 billion designated for air defence systems, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Israel has said it is attacking Hezbollah in order to allow residents to return to the north.

As tensions continue to rise in the region, Iran “will not remain indifferent in case of a full-scale war in Lebanon,” the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in comments to reporters on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

He also warned Israel’s “crimes will not go unpunished,” and said the Middle East region “risks full-scale conflict” if the UN Security Council does not “act now to halt Israel’s war and enforce an immediate cease-fire”.

“The Israeli leaders must understand that their crimes will not go unpunished. The path to de-escalation is clear. Israel must immediately stop its attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. Without a cease-fire in Gaza, there will be no guarantee of peace in the region,” Araqchi said on Wednesday.

“Iran will not remain indifferent in case of a full-scale war in Lebanon. We stand with the people of Lebanon with all means,” he added.

IANS