Hezbollah member and taxi driver Walid Illaik, who was killed in an Israeli strike on his car between the towns of Zawtar Sharqieh and Mayfadoun (Nabatieh) on 15 Jan. 2026. (Photo circulating on social media platforms)
As darkness fell on Thursday evening in southern Lebanon, an Israeli drone fired two missiles on a car traveling between the towns of Zawtar Sharqieh and Mayfadoun in the district of Nabatieh. The vehicle caught fire, and its driver, Walid Illaik, was killed instantly.
Hezbollah confirmed Illaik's death Friday, describing him as a member who died “as a sacrifice for Lebanon and its resisting people.” His funeral is set for Saturday at 11 a.m. in his hometown of Zawtar Gharbieh.
Abu Daniel Taxi
In 2022, Illaik’s story captured the hearts of many on social media after an interview with Al-Jadeed highlighted his humanitarian initiative amid the severe economic crisis that started in Lebanon in 2019.
Despite his modest means from working as a taxi driver, he would offer free rides to army and Internal Security Forces (ISF) personnel, operating under the slogan attached to his car's dashboard, “Abu Daniel Taxi Free transportation for Lebanese Army and ISF personnel. My sustenance and your sustenance are in God’s hands.”
"I come from a generous community, you know how much the south has sacrificed. I help them save LL20,000 or LL40,000 so they can use the money they saved maybe to help feed their kids," he had told Al-Jadeed.
On social media, many remembered Illaik as one of “the purest hearts and most decent people” in his village, Abed Ezzeddine, head of Zawtar Gharbieh’s municipality told L'Orient Today Friday. Ezzeddine insisted that he isn’t only “praising Walid because he was martyred but also because this man was very giving to everyone despite being a modest taxi driver. He was extremely generous and humane, donating to those in the village in need."
Lebanon's 2019 economic crisis triggered a catastrophic currency collapse, deemed as one of the world's worse financial crises since the mid-19th century according to the World Bank, with the Lebanese Lira losing over 90 percent of its value.
'His kindness and courage everywhere'
The satirical activist known for his social media comments on Lebanese issues, Zoulfikar Harakeh, wrote on Facebook: “He had already lost his friends in September. He is his mother’s only son, and has only one child. In his village, Walid was known as one of the purest-hearted and most decent people. Since this morning, I’ve been seeing posts about his kindness and courage everywhere."
Harakeh called on the Lebanese Army to financially "take care of Walid's family" as a way of giving back to the man who had given to the army at the height of the economic crisis.
Southern activist Fouad Khreiss who routinely documents Israeli strikes on Lebanon, wrote on X that Illaik was "a young man of faith, with a cheerful spirit and a sincere smile.”
The pro-Hezbollah social media platform Beirut Review commented on Illaik’s assassination by criticizing the Lebanese government and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam for their “inaction” in the face of Israeli attacks, as the army prepares for the second phase of the disarmament plan of the country's non-state actors north of the Litani River.
"It seems Illaik never had the chance to benefit from the 'protection' promised to Lebanese citizens by the president a year into his term. Nor did he find shelter under the institutions of the state and its legitimacy, when a deaf missile struck him, unaware of the exclusive authority over war and peace claimed by the 'sleeping president,' [Prime Minister] Nawaf Salam," it said.
War, cease-fire, disarmament
Hezbollah opened up a "support front" for Hamas on Oct. 8, 2024, leading to 13 months of exchange of fire between the party and Israel, before escalating into a fully-fledged war in September 2024 that lasted 66 days.
Despite the cease-fire that went into effect in November 2024, Israel continues to attack southern Lebanon and the Bekaa on an almost daily basis, killing over 440 people since then.
Hezbollah and its support base regularly criticize the Lebanese state for not forcing Israel to halt its strikes on the south.
Israel claims it is targeting Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure, and accused Illaik of being "involved in attempts to re-establish Hezbollah's infrastructure in the Zawtar Sharqieh area in southern Lebanon."
Hezbollah, meanwhile, has so far refused to hand over its weapons north of the Litani River, saying a halt in Israeli attacks would be a precondition to doing so.
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