Israel Strikes Beirut for First Time Since Ceasefire With Hezbollah, Killing Commander and Civilians
On May 6, 2026, Israel launched an airstrike on Beirut, targeting a senior Hezbollah commander in the southern suburbs. The attack killed at least four civilians in Zelaya and reportedly eliminated a key Hezbollah figure. Hezbollah retaliated by firing drones and rockets toward Israeli positions, escalating tensions.
Where Sources Diverge
The Israeli military did not confirm the death of the commander, while Israeli media reported the commander was killed.
Israeli media reported that the commander was killed in the strike, but there was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military or Hezbollah.
Israeli media reported that the commander was killed in the strike, but there was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military or Hezbollah.
The number of casualties in the strike varies between sources.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Wednesday that an Israeli airstrike killed four people, including two women and an elderly man, in the town of Zelaya in southern Lebanon.
At least 11 other people were killed in strikes across the south and east, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
The timing of the ceasefire extension and its implications for the current strike are reported differently.
The Lebanon ceasefire has underpinned a broader US-Iran truce, with a halt to Israeli strikes in Lebanon being a key Iranian demand.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he believed a deal with Iran was 'very possible', but threatened to resume his bombardment of the country if negotiations fell apart.
Timelines
Sources
The strike was the first near the Lebanese capital since a cease-fire that has curbed fighting but not halted it. Washington is pushing for a lasting peace, hoping it will ease diplomacy with Iran.
Beirut and its southern suburbs had been spared Israeli attacks since 8 April, when massive Israeli strikes across the country killed more than 350 people.
Iran ally Hezbollah has responded to those strikes by firing and launching armed drones towards Israeli soldiers
A senior commander from Hezbollah's elite force was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Wednesday, the first on the area in nearly a month, a source close to the group said. At least 11 other people were killed in strikes across the south and east, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Meanwhile US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he believed a deal with Iran was 'very possible', but threatened to resume his bombardment of the country if negotiations fell apart. Follow our liveblog for all the latest updates.
Israel says it targeted a senior Hezbollah figure in the capital, the first strike of its kind since mid-April.
Israel struck Beirut on Wednesday for the first time since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last month, with Israel claiming it targeted a commander of the group’s elite Radwan force in the city’s southern suburbs. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz announced the action in a joint statement. Israeli media reported that the commander was killed in the strike, but there was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military or Hezbollah. The Lebanon ceasefire has underpinned a broader US-Iran truce, with a halt to Israeli strikes in Lebanon being a key Iranian demand. As Iran and the US say they are drawing closer to a deal to halt their conflict, the strikes threaten the ceasefire that halted Israeli attacks on Beirut. Israeli troops have remained in areas south of the Litani River and strikes continued in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has responded by firing and launching armed drones towards Israeli soldiers. Israel earlier on Wednesday called for residents to evacuate several villages north of the Litani River, which could represent an expansion of Israel’s zone of action. Talks between Israel and Lebanon have continued, but have largely been at the ambassador level. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Wednesday that it was premature to talk of any high-level meeting between Lebanon and Israel. High-level meetings premature Salam, in comments reported by Lebanon’s National News Agency on Wednesday, said shoring up a ceasefire would be the basis for any new negotiations between Lebanese and Israeli government envoys in Washington. Washington last month hosted two meetings between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States. Hezbollah strongly objects to the contacts. Since March 2, when the fighting erupted, the Lebanese administration led by Salam and President Joseph Aoun has initiated Beirut’s highest-level contacts with Israel in decades, reflecting deep divisions between the group and its Lebanese opponents. Announcing a three-week extension of the ceasefire on April 23, US President Donald Trump said he looked forward to hosting Netanyahu and Aoun in the near future, and that he saw “a great chance” the countries would reach a peace deal this year. Salam said Lebanon was not seeking normalisation with Israel, but rather achieving peace. “Our minimum demand is a timetable for Israel’s withdrawal,” he said, adding that the government would develop its plan to restrict weapons to state control — an effort aimed at securing Hezbollah’s disarmament. Aoun said this week the timing was not right for a meeting with Netanyahu. Lebanon “must first reach a security agreement and a halt to the Israeli attacks before we raise the issue of a meeting between us,” he said. Trading blows Israel has carved out a self-declared security zone extending as deep as 10 kilometres into southern Lebanon, saying it aims to protect northern Israel from Hezbollah fighters embedded in civilian areas. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Wednesday that an Israeli airstrike killed four people, including two women and an elderly man, in the town of Zelaya in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military said Hezbollah had launched explosive drones and rockets towards Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, injuring two Israeli soldiers. It also said the Israeli air force intercepted a hostile aircraft before it crossed into Israel, and announced strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas in Lebanon. More than 2,700 people have been killed in the war in Lebanon since March 2, the Health Ministry says. The Israeli military says Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel since March 2. Israel has announced 17 soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon, along with two civilians in northern Israel.
Israel struck Beirut on Wednesday for the first time since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last month, with Israel saying it targeted a commander of the militant group’s elite Radwan force in the city’s southern suburbs. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz announced the action in a joint statement. Israeli media reported that the commander was killed in the strike, but there was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military or Hezbollah. The...
The Israeli military has carried out a strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut in a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh, targeting the commander of the militant group's elite Radwan force, according to an official Israeli statement.
This is a breaking news story.
Israel says it has struck the Lebanese capital for the first time since a ceasefire took effect in mid April. Meanwhile, Iran said it was still reviewing a US peace proposal. Follow DW.
Israel has said its strike targeted a senior Hezbollah commander. Meanwhile, Iran said it was still reviewing a US peace proposal. Follow DW.