Israeli strike on the Rihab neighborhood, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, March 30, 2026. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike hit the densely populated Rihab neighborhood in southern Beirut, which had not been included in the army’s evacuation orders, killing one person and injuring 17, according to the Health Ministry. Among the wounded are 10 Lebanese, six Syrians — including four children — and one Guinean.
Earlier, a security source told AFP that the strike killed three Hezbollah members and seriously wounded three others.
Later, the Israeli army reported that a strike in Beirut killed Hamza Ibrahim Rukin, described as the deputy commander of Unit 1800, along with the unit’s operations officer and another member.
According to the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee, Unit 1800 “coordinates between Hezbollah and Palestinian organizations in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, and the West Bank.” The statement added that Hamza Rukin “also oversaw the transfer of fighters from these groups to participate in combat against Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon.”
