The Israel Defense Forces struck Beirut's Dahiyeh neighborhood for the first time in about a month, according to reports in Lebanon. Several minutes later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that the target of the strike was Radwan Force commander Malek Balout.
A Hezbollah source confirmed to Al-Araby that the target of the strike was Balout, claiming that his "fate remains unknown."
غـارة تـسـتـهـدف الـضـاحـيـة الـجـنـوبـيـة فـي بـيـروت pic.twitter.com/4owh0OZwJr
— مصدر مسؤول (@fouadkhreiss) May 6, 2026
"With the approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, the IDF has just struck in Beirut against the commander of the Radwan Force in the Hezbollah terrorist organization in order to eliminate him. The Radwan terrorists he led are responsible for firing at Israeli communities and harming IDF soldiers. No terrorist has immunity. Israel's long arm will reach every enemy and murderer. We promised to bring security to the residents of the north. This is how it is done, and this is how we will continue to act," Netanyahu and Katz said in a statement.
