In a new escalation in the context of the ongoing confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah, the Israeli army announced the assassination of Ahmed Ghaleb Ballout, one of the leaders of the “Radwan Force,” during a raid targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut, accusing him of working to reactivate what is known as the “Galilee Occupation Plan” and developing the capabilities of the party’s offensive unit.
According to a report by journalist Amir Boukhbout, on the Hebrew “Walla” website, the Israeli army carried out, yesterday, Wednesday, a raid in the southern suburb of Beirut that led to the killing of Ballout, whom he described as one of the most prominent leaders of the “Radwan Force,” an elite unit affiliated with “Hezbollah.”
The report indicated that during the past years, Ballout held a series of positions within the “Radwan Force,” including operations leadership, and was responsible for the unit’s readiness to confront the Israeli army.
The report added that Ballout worked, in cooperation with the Iranians, to rehabilitate Hezbollah’s offensive capabilities to carry out incursions into Israeli settlements and military sites, with the aim of carrying out kidnappings and attacks similar to the October 7 attack.
According to the information provided in the report, during the war, and especially in the recent period, Ballout supervised the direction of members of the “Radwan Force” and the implementation of dozens of operations against Israeli army forces in southern Lebanon, which included launching anti-tank missiles and detonating explosive devices.
The Israeli army also accused him of working to rebuild the capabilities of the “Radwan Force,” especially trying to restart the “Galilee Occupation Plan,” a plan that Israel said the unit had worked to develop over the years.
The Israeli army confirmed that the “Radwan Force” is operating with Iranian funding and direction with the aim of targeting Israeli forces and the northern settlements, stressing that it will continue its operations against what it described as “attempts to restore the party’s capabilities.”
In parallel with the assassination of Ballout, the Israeli army announced the killing of two other Hezbollah leaders, namely Muhammad Ali Bazzi, who said that in recent years he had assumed leadership of the intelligence department of the Nasr Unit, and Hussein Hassan Romani, who was responsible for the party’s air defense system.
According to the Israeli army, the assassinated leaders were planning and carrying out operations against Israeli forces and settlements in the north.
The report indicated that Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon are still continuing with the aim of removing what Tel Aviv describes as “threats” against its forces and residents.
According to data reported by the Israeli army, more than 220 Hezbollah members and leaders have been assassinated since the start of the ceasefire understandings. It said that they posed a threat to the Israeli forces and the northern settlements.
He also announced that more than 85 Hezbollah members were killed during the last week alone, as part of joint operations carried out by the Israeli Air Force and ground forces.
The report added that since the beginning of the week, the Israeli army has targeted more than 180 Hezbollah military structures in southern Lebanon, including headquarters, weapons depots, and missile launchers that were prepared for use.
