Israel claims it killed Hezbollah commander in Beirut strike

ISTANBUL

The Israeli army claimed on Wednesday that it had killed Hajj Youssef Ismail Hashem, a commander of the Lebanese group Hezbollah, in a strike in Beirut a day earlier.

Hashem was a commander of Hezbollah’s "Southern Front," army spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed on the US social media company X.

Adraee also alleged that Hashem was engaged in fighting with Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and in launching rockets toward Israel.

No response from Hezbollah was immediately available.

Israel has carried out airstrikes and a ground offensive in southern Lebanon since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2, despite a ceasefire that took effect in November 2024.

Hezbollah has fired barrages of rockets into Israel since early March, saying the attacks are in response to continued Israeli strikes on Lebanon and the killing of Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on Feb. 28.

Lebanese authorities say at least 1,268 people have since been killed and 3,750 have been injured in Israeli attacks.