The strike targeted the Ghobeiry district in Beirut’s southern suburbs, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, as Israeli warplanes carried out renewed attacks across several parts of Lebanon. A source close to Hezbollah told Agence France-Presse that Malik Ballout, identified as a senior operations commander within Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, was killed in the attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the operation in a joint statement, saying the Israeli army had "struck the commander of the Radwan Force in Beirut.” The Israeli military has accused Hezbollah of maintaining operational infrastructure despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect on April 17 and was later extended until May 17.

Residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs described scenes of panic and heavy smoke shortly after the strike. "People rushed into the streets after hearing a loud explosion. Ambulances arrived within minutes,” said Ali Hamdan, a shop owner in the Ghobeiry area, speaking to Diplomat News Network by phone on Thursday morning.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said at least 11 other people were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon. One strike in the western Bekaa town of Zellaya killed four people, including two women and an elderly man, and wounded five others, among them a child and three women. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that the strike hit the home of Zellaya’s mayor, killing him and three family members.

Hours before the attacks, an Israeli military spokesperson issued evacuation warnings for Zellaya and 11 towns and villages in southern Lebanon, many of them north of the Litani River. The Israeli military later announced it had "begun targeting Hezbollah infrastructure sites in several areas inside Lebanon.”

Additional strikes hit towns including Ansariyeh, Mazraat Daoudiyeh, Kouthariyet El Saiyad, Ghassaniyeh, and Saksakiyeh, according to Lebanese local media and emergency responders. Observers in southern Lebanon reported low-flying aircraft and sustained explosions through the evening, with several roads temporarily blocked by debris and emergency vehicles.

Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, speaking from southern Lebanon, said the military would seize "every opportunity” to weaken Hezbollah and remained prepared for a potential new confrontation involving Iran. Hezbollah has not yet issued a detailed public statement on the reported death of Ballout.

The renewed strikes underscore the fragility of the ceasefire and raise concerns among Lebanese officials and humanitarian agencies about a broader escalation. Israeli operations have continued in border areas despite the truce, including demolitions and military activity near what Israel has described as a "yellow line” separating dozens of Lebanese villages from the rest of the country.