The Israeli military announced that its airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday resulted in the death of Hezbollah commander Muhammad Hussein Srour, identified as the head of the group’s Aerial Command.
“Under the guidance of IDF intelligence, the IAF [Israeli Air Force] carried out an operation and eliminated terrorist Muhammad Hussein Srour in Beirut,” the Israel Defense Forces stated. The IDF accused Srour of being a long-standing Hezbollah member who had orchestrated several attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers using drones and explosive devices.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly approved the “assassination operation” while en route to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, according to his office.
Hezbollah has yet to comment on the Israeli strikes or the military’s claim of Srour’s death.
In addition to Srour’s death, at least two others were killed and 15 injured in the Israeli airstrikes on a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health. One of the injured, a woman, is in critical condition.
CNN has confirmed that the location of the strike was Haret Hreik, a densely populated area with a significant Hezbollah presence.