The commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front was killed in an Israeli Navy strike in Beirut on Tuesday, the IDF announced Wednesday, marking the most senior Hezbollah figure eliminated by Israel since the escalation of fighting tied to the Iran war.

Hajj Yusuf Ismail Hashem, who commanded Hezbollah’s military operations in south Lebanon, was killed in the strike on the Lebanese capital. Hashem had taken over the Southern Front in September 2024, following the death of his predecessor Ali Karaki, who was killed alongside Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli strike.

The IDF described Hashem as “a senior commander with over 40 years of experience and a central figure in the terror organization,” saying he had “led and advanced thousands of terror attack plans against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers” over the course of his career.

The military said his death “constitutes a significant blow to Hezbollah’s ability to carry out terror operations against Israeli civilians and to manage ongoing combat against IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon.”

Hezbollah has been firing rockets and missiles into northern Israel for the past month as part of its role in the broader regional conflict.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)