Saudi news media Al-Hadath reports on March 2 that Mohammad Raad, the head of the Hezbollah group in Lebanon’s Parliament, may have been killed by Israeli strikes launched against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. This news is not confirmed at this point.
The “precision hits,” claims that source, were Israel’s response to Hezbollah launches of drones and missiles against Israel during the night. The Israeli army acknowledged targeting several high-level Hezbollah leaders in Beirut, as well as “a central figure in southern Lebanon.” The Israeli army did not reveal the names of those targeted.
The Lebanese Health Ministry reported there were 31 killed and at least 149 wounded. Towns across southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley were hit, with evacuation orders issued for 18 towns. Israel has reportedly massed nearly 100,000 troops on the Lebanese border.
Hours later, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared Hezbollah’s military activities “illegal acts” and demanded the group surrender its weapons, confining its role to the political sphere. The government has no means of enforcing the demand—Hezbollah has operated as a parallel army for decades—but Lebanon may be trying to give Israel less justification for treating the whole of Lebanon as a battlefield.
