The IDF carried out a targeted strike Thursday in the Beirut area, attempting to kill Ali al-Husseini, commander of the missile array in the Imam Hussein Division, a militia that assists Hezbollah and is linked to Iran.
The strike took place in Choueifat, southeast of Beirut. The result of the attack was not immediately clear.
IDF targets Iran-linked missile commander near Beirut
The strike marks another escalation in Israel’s operations in Lebanon, targeting the broader Beirut area and carrying out targeted killings beyond southern Lebanon.
ynet military analyst Ron Ben-Yishai said al-Husseini is a relatively low-ranking figure in a militia established and operated by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Its members were previously described as mercenaries fighting for the Assad regime in Syria’s civil war and now work with Hezbollah.
The Imam Hussein Division took part in fighting against Israel from Lebanon during Operation Roaring Lion and, before that, 2024's Operation Northern Arrows. Working in coordination with Hezbollah, the militia launched drones and missiles at northern Israeli communities.
The militia was established in 2016 under Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s Quds Force, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad in 2020. It includes thousands of fighters from across the Middle East, including Syrians, Lebanese, Afghans, Pakistanis, Yemenis and others. It includes combat units, special forces and logistical units.
The IDF has previously identified the militia as taking part in fire from Lebanon toward Israel since the war began in October 2023. In November of that year, IDF Arabic-language spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee said the militia had come to Hezbollah’s aid and arrived in southern Lebanon, taking part in attacks against Israel.
On May 6, the IDF killed Ahmad Ali Balout, a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, in a strike in Beirut’s Dahieh district. The military said Ballout had directed Radwan operatives and commanded attacks against IDF forces in southern Lebanon, including anti-tank fire and explosive devices.
Earlier Thursday, Lebanese reports said Israel struck several sites near Tyre in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese army also said one of its soldiers was killed in an Israeli strike on the Zefta-Deir al-Zahrani road in the Nabatieh area, the third Lebanese soldier it said was killed in Israeli strikes in two days.
Meanwhile, sirens sounded in several northern Israeli communities throughout the morning following Hezbollah missile and drone launches.