Hezbollah has officially mourned the son of its parliamentary bloc leader, along with five others, who were killed in clashes with Israel in southern Lebanon. Security sources reported today, Thursday, that five members of Hezbollah were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beit Yahoun in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon. A source close to the family of Mohammad Raad stated that "Abbas Raad was killed due to an Israeli bombing targeting a house in southern Lebanon, while he was inside with several party members in a home in the village of Beit Yahoun." The Israeli army noted that fighter jets from the air force attacked Hezbollah's infrastructure in Lebanese territory. They added: "The air force and Israeli ground forces struck a cell attempting to launch rockets at Israeli territory and another squad that fired at our troops." Hebrew media aired a video documenting the airstrike on Beit Yahoun. The airstrike on the house in Beit Yahoun pic.twitter.com/TKhv429831— الزَينْ (@_mohamadelzein_) November 22, 2023
The border area in southern Lebanon has witnessed escalating military confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah since Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on the Israeli state on October 7. The Israeli response has included devastating bombardments and a ground operation in the besieged Gaza Strip. The Israeli airstrike on Beit Yahoun occurred just hours after an announcement regarding an agreement between Israel and Hamas, whereby Hamas will release 50 hostages it took during its attack on Israel, while Israel will free Palestinian prisoners, with a four-day ceasefire in Gaza to take effect, marking the first tangible step toward de-escalation after more than six weeks of conflict.
