Mohammad Raad, the leader of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc, was reportedly killed in an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attack on targets in Lebanon, Saudi Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath television stations reported this morning.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that launching rockets towards Israel harms efforts to save Lebanon from a regional conflict, while Al-Arabiya correspondents reported that all schools and educational institutions in Lebanon were closed by the decision of the Ministry of Education, reports index.hr.
Israel said the strikes came in retaliation after Hezbollah fired multiple missiles into northern Israel overnight.
The IDF said it had hit several high-ranking Hezbollah members in Beirut and a “key Hezbollah terrorist” in southern Lebanon, but did not confirm the names.
IDF: Attacks on Hezbollah will continue
The commander of the IDF’s Northern Command, Major General Rafi Milo, commented on the attacks: “Hezbollah chose the Iranian regime over the Lebanese state and launched an attack on our civilians. We were ready – and they will pay dearly.”
“Immediately after Hezbollah’s rocket fire, in accordance with the plan, we launched the first major wave of attacks on Beirut and southern Lebanon, targeting high-ranking operatives, commandos and terrorist infrastructure. We are also working to evacuate civilians from southern Lebanon before new attacks,” said Major General Milo.
