Israeli airstrike on Beirut's Dahieh, Tuesday
The IDF launched a targeted strike on Tuesday in Beirut’s Dahieh district, a Hezbollah stronghold, aiming at Ibrahim Qubaisi, also known as Abu Musa, the head of the terror group's rocket division.
Security sources told Reuters that Qubaisi, who is responsible for directing rocket attacks toward central Israel, was killed in the attack, which hit a six-story residential building, destroying three floors. Lebanese reports indicate at least six people were killed and 15 injured.
According to a senior Israeli official, Qubaisi had only recently been appointed to report directly to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
“We are in the midst of intense combat days in the north, and Israel has escalated its offensive against Hezbollah,” the official told Ynet. “We’ve been systematically dismantling Hezbollah’s capabilities, including destroying thousands of rockets and missiles.
“Our strategy is not to enter a full-scale war but to increase pressure gradually. If Hezbollah didn’t understand the message with the assassination of Ibrahim Aqil, it will in the coming days.”
Following a series of recent assassinations, Qubaisi became one of the group's top military figures, responsible for Hezbollah's strategic capabilities and allegedly involved in recent rocket attacks on Tel Aviv. Officials noted that, at this stage, there is no confirmed verification of his death.
Tuesday’s strike followed an air raid the previous day targeting Ali Karaki, Hezbollah’s Southern Front commander and the group’s third-ranking leader. Initially, reports suggested Karaki had been killed, but Hezbollah later confirmed he survived and was moved to a safe location.
Over the past two months, Israel has eliminated two of Hezbollah’s top military leaders, considered part of the founding generation of the organization. In late July, Fuad Shukr, dubbed “Hezbollah’s chief of staff,” was killed in Dahieh. Last week, Ibrahim Aqil, the head of Hezbollah’s operations unit, was killed alongside senior commanders of the elite Radwan Force.
The attack on Dahieh marks the fifth Israeli strike on the Hezbollah stronghold since the beginning of the war, including the assassination of senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri.
U.S. officials told CNN that the recent Israeli strikes have significantly impacted Hezbollah’s command and control structure, “setting them back 20 years.”
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Multiple fires across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley according to NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System
(Photo: NASA)
However, they expressed concerns that Iran may intervene to support Hezbollah if it feels its strongest proxy is at risk of collapse. “We are closer to a regional war than at any time since October 7,” a U.S. official said.
On Monday, Israel carried out a massive offensive in southern Lebanon, targeting over 650 square miles. NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System, typically used to track wildfires, detected multiple fires across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, including intense blazes near the town of Naqoura, close to the Israeli border.