Top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Mohammed Kobeissi died in an Israeli strike on South Beriut, the Iran-backed group announced on Wednesday. This came hours after Israel had claimed that it had “eliminated” Kobeissi in a strike that killed six and injured 15, according to Lebanon.
“Kobeissi was an important source of knowledge in the field of missiles and had close ties with senior Hezbollah military leaders,” Hezbollah said in a statement adding that he was “martyred on the road to Jerusalem.”
Earlier, the Israeli army had said that it “eliminated Ibrahim Mohammed Kobeissi, the commander of the missile and rocket network of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation.”
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari announced at a media briefing that “at least two” other commanders from Kobeissi’s unit were also “eliminated” in a recent raid.
This operation followed Israel’s reported “targeted strike” in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Hezbollah later stated that its third-in-command, Ali Karake, was alive and had moved to safety after being targeted in the strike on Monday.
“Israeli enemy raid on Ghobeiri in Beirut’s southern suburbs killed six people and injured 15,” Lebanon’s health ministry said.
Since the onset of the Gaza war last October, Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in cross-border exchanges of fire, with recent escalations raising concerns of an all-out war.
Israel said that its warplanes targeted 1,600 Hezbollah sites on Monday (local time), destroying cruise missiles, long- and short-range rockets, and attack drones, including weaponry hidden in private homes.
This escalation followed a significant exchange of fire on Sunday, during which Hezbollah fired approximately 150 rockets, missiles, and drones into northern Israel.
Last week, numerous communications devices, primarily used by Hezbollah, exploded in various locations across Lebanon, resulting in 39 deaths and nearly 3,000 injuries, many of whom were civilians. While Lebanon attributed the explosions to Israel, the Israeli government neither confirmed nor denied involvement.