Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that Israeli forces killed a top Hezbollah commander in an airstrike and confirmed over a million Lebanese civilians have followed evacuation orders. According to the defense ministry, the IDF’s Northern Command reported that 650,000 people have left Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, while an additional 500,000 have evacuated southern Lebanon. The IDF issued evacuation warnings for the entire southern region of Lebanon and four major neighborhoods in Beirut’s south ahead of targeted strikes on Hezbollah positions. Katz’s office stated that the commander of Hezbollah’s Nasr Unit, Abu Hussein Ra’ab, was eliminated in an IDF strike earlier that night. The Nasr Unit is one of three regional divisions of Hezbollah operating in southern Lebanon, responsible for the area between Mount Dov and the Bint Jbeil region. The defense minister emphasized that Israel would not retreat from its stance against Hezbollah, stating the operation presented an opportunity to strike the group and impose a “very, very great security” outcome. The IDF’s actions followed reports of Hezbollah’s missile attacks on central Israel, which caused infrastructure damage and injured 16 people. Meanwhile, Jerusalem sought to resume school operations for young children on Wednesday, while other cities awaited similar decisions. The article also noted ongoing efforts to provide accurate coverage of the conflict, with calls for readers to support The Times of Israel Community to access exclusive content and ad-free reporting.#hezbollah #israel_katz #nasr_unit #beirut #lebanon
