Israel says another top Hezbollah commander killed in Beirut strike

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army said late Tuesday that it killed another top Hezbollah commander in an airstrike in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

In a statement, it said the strike targeted Muhammad Jaafar Qasir, who was responsible for weapons transfers from Iran and its affiliates to Hezbollah.

The army said Qasir "oversaw the development of Hezbollah's precision missile project and the development of the organization's firing capabilities.”

There was no confirmation from Hezbollah of the Israeli claim.

Regional tensions escalated further Tuesday after Iran fired around 180 ballistic missiles at Israel amid heightened tensions between the two regional arch-rivals.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the attack was in response to the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoshan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran made a “big mistake” with its missile attack and “will pay for it.”

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 1,073 people and injuring over 2,950 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The top leadership of Hezbollah was killed in the Israeli assaults, including Nasrallah.

The Israeli army said Tuesday that it started ground operations against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is a major ally of Iran.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed more than 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

​​​​​​​The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.