Overview
- Israeli forces carried out an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday, a raid the government said was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz.
- Israel said the strike targeted and killed a Radwan Force commander identified as Malek Balou, while Hezbollah has not confirmed the death.
- The blast damaged buildings in the Dahieh–Haret Hreik area, and Hezbollah fighters responded with rocket and drone attacks against Israeli troops, according to multiple reports.
- US Central Command said it fired on and disabled the Iranian‑flagged tanker M/T Hasna in the Gulf of Oman, a move it framed as enforcement of a blockade on traffic to Iranian ports.
- The Beirut strike, which Reuters and other outlets noted was the first since the US‑brokered April ceasefire, comes as Lebanese officials report rising deaths from Israeli strikes in the south and as Israel maintains a buffer zone near the border.