Youssef Hashem… Israel announces the killing of Hezbollah’s southern front commander

Israel announced on Wednesday the killing of Hezbollah’s southern front commander, Youssef Ismail Hashem, in a strike in the Lebanese capital.

The Israeli army said in a statement: “The navy carried out an attack on Tuesday in Beirut, eliminating the individual known as Hajj Youssef Ismail Hashem, commander of Hezbollah’s southern front.”

It added: “The southern front is the Hezbollah unit responsible for implementing plans against Israel and fighting army forces in southern Lebanon.”

According to the statement, Hashem oversaw, during his leadership of the unit, the launching of rockets and drones toward Israel, and led Hezbollah’s reconstruction efforts.

With more than forty years of experience, Hashem was considered one of Hezbollah’s key pillars. He assumed the position of southern commander after the death of Ali Karaki, alongside Hassan Nasrallah, several months ago.

Over the years, he was responsible for the Nasr, Aziz, and Badr units, which, according to the statement, are tasked with fighting Israeli army forces in southern Lebanon and launching rockets toward Israel.

The statement continued: “Over the years, and especially in the recent period, Hashem led and advanced thousands of offensive plans against Israel and the army.”

In total, at least seven people were killed in Israeli strikes targeting Beirut and a vehicle on a main road south of the city on Tuesday night, according to figures from the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

The war in the Middle East reached Lebanon on March 2, after the Tehran-backed group launched rockets at Israel in response to the assassination of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei during the early days of the U.S.–Israeli offensive.

Israel is responding with large-scale airstrikes on Lebanon and advancing its forces into the southern part of the country.