The IDF said Tuesday that it killed the acting commander of the Lebanon Corps of Iran’s Quds Force in an airstrike in Tehran earlier in the day.
According to an IDF statement, the Israeli Air Force, acting on intelligence guidance, struck and killed Daoud Ali Zadeh, who had been serving as the temporary head of the unit responsible for Iran’s activities related to Lebanon.
Ali Zadeh replaced Hassan Mahdavi, the former commander of the Lebanon Corps, who was previously killed in an Israeli strike, the IDF said.
The Lebanon Corps serves as a key link between Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group based in Lebanon. The IDF described Ali Zadeh as the most senior Iranian commander overseeing operations connected to Lebanon and said he held a rank equivalent to brigadier general.
In previous roles, Ali Zadeh served as commander of the Quds Force’s Strategic Weapons Corps, where, according to the IDF, he was involved in supporting the transfer of advanced weapons to Iran-backed groups in the region and advising them on enhancing their firepower capabilities.
The IDF said Ali Zadeh assumed leadership of the Lebanon Corps after Operation Northern Arrows and was involved in efforts to rehabilitate Hezbollah and improve its operational capabilities for future attacks targeting Israel. It added that he had recently encouraged Hezbollah to carry out attacks against Israel.
Israel will not allow Iranian elements that strengthen Hezbollah to entrench themselves in Lebanon, the IDF said.
The IDF added that it will continue to operate against Hezbollah’s attempts to rebuild and rearm and will act forcefully to eliminate any threat to Israel.
First published: 19:57, 03.03.26