by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – Israel carried out a targeted strike Thursday in a suburb south of Beirut, marking its first attack near the Lebanese capital in three weeks as the conflict with Hezbollah and Iran-backed terrorist groups intensifies.
The Israel Defense Forces said it struck in the Beirut area but did not immediately provide further details. An Israeli security source said the target was Ali al-Husni, also identified in some reports as Ali al-Husseini, commander of the missile array in the Imam Hussein Division, an Iranian-backed militia operating alongside Hezbollah.
The strike took place in Shuwayfat, southeast of Beirut and near Lebanon’s international airport. Smoke was seen rising from a residential neighborhood, though it was not immediately clear whether al-Husni was killed.
The attack was Israel’s first strike near Beirut since May 6, when the IDF killed Ahmad Ali Balout, a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force. Israel said Balout had directed attacks against IDF forces in southern Lebanon.
The latest strike came as Israel expanded operations against Hezbollah following a surge of drone and missile attacks on Israeli troops and northern communities. Sirens sounded across northern Israel Thursday morning after Hezbollah launched additional missiles and drones.
According to the IDF, Israeli forces struck more than 135 Hezbollah targets over the past day, including rocket launch sites, command centers, weapons depots, infrastructure sites, and a training camp in the Beqaa Valley. In Tyre, Israeli aircraft hit 15 Hezbollah sites the military said were being used to advance attacks against Israel.
The escalation follows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that Israel would intensify operations in Lebanon after Hezbollah increased its use of fiber-optic exploding drones, a growing threat that has struck Israeli troops and reached northern Israeli border towns. One Israeli soldier was killed Wednesday by a drone on the Israeli side of the border.
Before Thursday’s strikes, IDF Arabic-language spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for several buildings in Tyre and surrounding neighborhoods.
The Trump administration reportedly approved Israel’s expanded operations against Hezbollah earlier this week but warned Jerusalem against striking Beirut, fearing such attacks could complicate ongoing negotiations with Iran. Israeli officials said Israel has broad freedom of action in southern Lebanon but faces greater diplomatic limits around Beirut.
The Imam Hussein Division was established in 2016 under Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s Quds Force who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad in 2020. The militia includes fighters from across the Middle East and has been identified by the IDF as part of Iran’s proxy network operating from Lebanon against Israel.
The strike comes ahead of planned security talks between Lebanese and Israeli military officials in Washington on Friday. Hezbollah has dismissed the talks and aligned itself with Iran, which has reportedly made ending the Lebanon war a condition in its own negotiations with Washington.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits remained relatively low in early August, offering another sign that widespread layoffs have yet to take hold even as hiring across the U.S. economy remains subdued.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a second preemptive airstrike in Gaza in two days Thursday, targeting a Hamas terror cell in Khan Yunis that Israeli military officials said was preparing an attack against Israeli forces.
The Trump administration has announced nearly $2 billion in health and humanitarian assistance for faith-based organizations, placing several major Christian ministries at the center of a reshaped U.S. foreign-aid strategy following sweeping cuts to USAID programs.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has cast doubt on a controversial Russian-led expansion of Hungary’s only nuclear power plant after record-low levels of the Danube River nearly forced its existing reactors into a complete shutdown.
The United States is preparing to send the USS George Washington aircraft carrier to the Middle East, replacing the USS Abraham Lincoln after an exceptionally long deployment supporting American military operations against Iran, according to an exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are moving to deepen military cooperation under a new mutual-defense pact that Israeli analysts say could reshape the Middle East’s security architecture while reducing dependence on the United States and bypassing Israel.
Americans added another $21 billion in credit card debt during the second quarter of 2026, pushing outstanding balances to roughly $1.26 trillion and bringing consumer borrowing close to its record high.