Hezbollah confirms senior commander killed in Israeli airstrike on Beirut suburb

Shafaq News/ Lebanon's Hezbollah confirmed on Thursday night that senior commander Mohammad Hussein Srour was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut.

In a statement, the powerful Lebanese group said Srour, also known as “Hajj Abu Saleh,” was born in 1973 in the southern Lebanese town of Aita al-Shaab. He held a key position within Hezbollah’s military ranks.

The Israeli military had earlier announced that it killed the head of Hezbollah’s air unit, Mohammad Hussein Srour, in a precision strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold.

This marks the fourth Israeli airstrike on the area within a week. The escalation comes amid growing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, with multiple cross-border incidents reported in recent days.

The southern suburbs of Beirut, known as Dahiyeh, are home to much of Hezbollah’s leadership and have been a frequent target during periods of heightened conflict. Israeli officials have emphasized their ongoing efforts to degrade Hezbollah’s military capabilities, particularly its missile and drone programs, which they view as a direct threat.

While Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in periodic skirmishes, they have avoided a full-scale conflict since their 2006 war. However, since the outbreak of the conflict between Hamas and Israel on October 7, Israeli officials expressed the intention to invade Lebanon with Hezbollah has increased its attacks on Israel, launching near-daily strikes in solidarity with Gaza.

This week, Israel intensified its attacks on Lebanon killing more than 700 people since Monday.