Israeli strike kills five Hezbollah fighters, including senior member’s son

An Israeli strike on the village of Beit Yahoun in south Lebanon on Wednesday evening killed five Hezbollah fighters, including the son of a senior Hezbollah member, according to Hezbollah and three sources with knowledge of the situation.

The group announced on late Wednesday night the death of five of its members, bringing the total toll of Hezbollah fighters killed since violence broke out along the border to 85.

Among those named was Abbas Raad, who sources said was the son of senior Hezbollah figure and member of parliament Mohammad Raad, who was sanctioned by the United States in 2019.

Two Hezbollah sources and one security source told Reuters that the five were killed in an Israeli strike on the village of Beit Yahoun.

Israel and Hezbollah – an ally of militant group Hamas – have traded escalating rocket fire along the Lebanese border following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

In a statement, the Israeli military said its fighter jets struck Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon, and that its troops and aircraft hit two cells that fired at Israeli troops or attempted to launch rockets into Israel.

The Israeli military did not immediately provide comment on reports that multiple people had been killed or specify the location of the strike.