Search operations following Tuesday’s strike on Ghobeiri concluded, with six confirmed dead

The Israeli strike on a building in Ghobeiri in Beirut's southern suburbs on Tuesday afternoon resulted in six deaths and 15 injuries, including a commander of Hezbollah, according to the final toll released by the Civil Defense and a statement from the party.

Following the conclusion of rescue operations in Ghobeiri, the final toll from the strike is six dead and 15 injured, the Civil Defense reported in a statement, noting that search efforts wrapped up around 3 a.m. Three floors of the targeted building collapsed.

For its part, Hezbollah confirmed overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday the death of one of its commanders, Ibrahim Kobeissy, in this strike.

Badr Unit

According to the biography published by Hezbollah, Kobeissy was born in 1962 in Zebdin, southern Lebanon, and joined "the ranks of the Islamic Resistance upon its establishment in 1982."

"He supervised and planned numerous operations" against Israel, notably in its branch responsible for regional operations, "which he led between 1998 and 2000." This commander headed the Badr unit, located north of the Litani River, from 2001 to 2018, as well as "several formations responsible for missiles."

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Named after the Battle of Badr (the religious story in which the Prophet Muhammad was pitted against the Quraysh tribe in the 7th century between Mecca and Medina), the Badr unit focuses on intelligence gathering and reconnaissance missions, according to Eye on Hezbollah, a website managed by United Against Nuclear Iran, a U.S.-based organization led by a former diplomat from the George W. Bush administration. This enables Hezbollah to refine the preparation of its tactical operations. Geographically, the Badr unit extends from north of the Litani River to Saida.

Similar to the Aziz unit, according to MTV, this unit, primarily trained in defensive strategy, has also reportedly been trained in offensive tactics since October 2023.

Since last Friday, the Israeli state has carried out three strikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

On Sept. 20, a strike killed the commander of the Radwan force, Ibrahim Aqil, another leader of this elite Hezbollah unit, Ahmad Wehbe, along with 14 other Hezbollah fighters identified as senior officers of the force. This strike, and the collapse of the targeted building on Jamous Street, resulted in at least 56 killed overall.

Then, on Monday, another strike targeted the Bir al-Abed neighborhood. It aimed to target Ali Karaki, another high-ranking official of the party, who was not killed. This bombing, which struck a parking lot according to Civil Defense reports, resulted in no casualties.