Israel Strikes Beirut for First Time Since Truce, Says It Killed Hezbollah Radwan Commander

Overview

• Israel’s military hit Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday, the first attack on the capital since the April cease-fire, and said it killed Ahmed Ali Balout, a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit, which the group has not confirmed.
• Following Wednesday’s strike, exchanges continued in southern Lebanon as Hezbollah fired rockets and armed drones at Israeli forces and Israel expanded evacuation orders for villages north of the Litani River.
• The U.S. State Department confirmed a new Israel–Lebanon negotiating round in Washington on May 14–15, a third session intended to steady the front even as the truce comes under strain.
• Lebanon’s prime minister, Nawaf Salam, said high-level meetings are premature and called for a stronger, verifiable halt to attacks and a timetable for Israeli withdrawal, positions that Hezbollah’s leadership also resists engaging over.
• Lebanon’s Health Ministry reports more than 2,700 deaths since March 2, with widespread displacement from the south, and parallel U.S.–Iran contacts continue as President Donald Trump calls a broader deal with Tehran “very possible” and Iran says it is studying the proposal.