Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs: Netanyahu says Hezbollah Radwan Force commander targeted | LIVE

Hezbollah says it struck an Israeli army vehicle in Deir Siryan

At around 10 p.m., Hezbollah said it had successfully launched an attack drone at 7:10 p.m. targeting an Israeli military vehicle at Khallat al-Raj in the village of Deir Siryan. The group said the strike set the vehicle on fire. It was its fifteenth statement of the day.

Israel’s security chiefs reject a US–Iran deal, Haaretz source says

Israel’s security establishment is unanimously opposed to a deal between the United States and Iran, viewing it as a “catastrophe for Israel,” a security source told Haaretz.

According to the source, Israeli defense officials believe Iran would deceive the United States, rush to obtain nuclear weapons as soon as possible, and gain control over billions of dollars that would be released to it under the agreement.

People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs, in the Haret Hreik district, on May 6, 2026. (Credit: Ibrahim Amro / AFP)

According to local media, numerous vehicles were seen fleeing Beirut’s southern suburbs following the strike.

Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut suburbs, source close to party tells AFP

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Conflicting reports on Beirut strike as Israeli army and Hezbollah remain silent

Multiple reports are circulating about the strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, based on Israeli media and relayed in Lebanon, though none have been independently confirmed so far:

• The strike on the southern suburbs was reportedly carried out from a warship that fired three times at an apartment in Haret Hreik, according to Israel Hayom.
• The operation was allegedly conducted in coordination with the United States, according to an Israeli official cited by the country’s public broadcaster.
• The assassination is said to have been successful, with commander Malek Ballout reportedly killed along with several others present, according to Channel 14 and Ynet.

Hezbollah and the Israeli army have not yet issued any official statements.

Netanyahu says he ordered strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, claims Hezbollah commander was targeted

In a post on X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

“I instructed, together with Defense Minister Israel Katz, that the commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force be immediately targeted in Beirut in order to neutralize him. Members of the Radwan Force [Hezbollah’s elite unit] are responsible for attacks against Israeli communities and soldiers. No terrorist has immunity — Israel’s long arm will reach every enemy and every killer. We promised to ensure the security of residents in the north — this is how it is done, and this is how it will continue,” Netanyahu added.

This strike is the first since “Black Wednesday” on April 8, when Israeli warplanes carried out massive and deadly bombardments across Lebanon within minutes, including several strikes on Beirut and its southern suburbs. Several countries, including the United States, subsequently pressured Tel Aviv to refrain from targeting the Lebanese capital again.

Strike hits Beirut’s southern suburbs

An explosion caused by a strike, likely Israeli, hit Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday while the cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel remains in effect.

No warning was issued ahead of the strike, according to initial reports.

According to Israeli media, including Channel 14 as cited by Lebanese outlets, the attack was reportedly an assassination attempt.

Nabih Berri says he hopes 'Iranian-American negotiations will soon reach a positive conclusion'

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said in an interview with Al Jazeera that he hopes “Iranian-American negotiations will soon reach a positive conclusion.”

He also said that his relationship with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is “solid and important for consolidating stability.”

Addressing Lebanon’s security situation, Berri once again accused Israel of having “violated the cessation of hostilities agreement despite Hezbollah’s commitment,” stressing that “any Lebanese agreement with Israel requires guarantees because it does not respect its commitments.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi “confirmed to us that Lebanon is part of any agreement with Washington for a cease-fire,” he added.

The speaker also said he is “counting on internal unity and the Arab umbrella in the current circumstances.”

Israeli soldier seen desecrating Virgin Mary statue in south Lebanon on social media images

An Israeli soldier has been photographed desecrating a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon, according to images circulating on social media.

The Israeli army is currently reviewing the image, Haaretz reported.

Litani River Authority completes rehabilitation of Qasmieh–Ras al-Ain irrigation canal

The Litani River Authority has announced the completion of maintenance and rehabilitation works on the main canal of the Qasmieh–Ras al-Ain irrigation project in the Arzi area, aimed at ensuring the continuity of public service and providing irrigation water to farmers.

The works included repairing sections damaged by Israeli airstrikes and reinforcing the canal’s operational infrastructure, restoring full network functionality and stabilizing water flow ahead of the upcoming irrigation season.

Trump tells PBS News an agreement could be reached to end the war before his trip to China next week

U.S. President Donald Trump said he is optimistic about reaching a deal with Iran, which could include Iran exporting its highly enriched uranium to the United States, during a phone call with PBS News. He said it is possible an agreement could be reached to end the war before his visit to China next week.

Trump said he feels the United States is moving closer to an agreement, “but I’ve had that feeling with them before, so we’ll see what happens.”

However, he indicated that sending special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, to the negotiations is “unlikely.”

“I think there’s a very good chance that this ends, and if it doesn’t end, we have to start bombing them badly again,” Trump said.

Ghalibaf says the US is using 'economic and media pressure to sow division in Iran'

The speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has accused the United States of trying to use economic and media pressure to create divisions within Iranian society and force it into “capitulation,” a tactic he said will fail.

“The enemy places great hopes in economic pressure, and it is clear that it has once again received false reports and, based on those reports, has made bad decisions,” Ghalibaf said, according to the Iranian news agency Fars.

“This wrong decision will cause suffering for everyone,” he added, insisting that regardless of the scale of economic pressure, “the Iranian nation will stand firm… to preserve its independence.”

Update from southern Lebanon

Israeli warplanes carried out a strike on Khirbet Silm (Bint Jbeil). Israeli artillery fire also targeted the surroundings of Rashaya al-Foukhar (Hasbaya).

Our correspondent in southern Lebanon, also reported that most of the victims in the village of Saksakieh were originally from Ansarieh and had fled there following an Israeli evacuation order, relocating to Saksakieh in an attempt to seek safety.

Salam says a meeting between Aoun and Netanyahu is 'premature'

During a press briefing on ongoing talks with Israel, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that “Lebanon is not seeking normalization with Israel, but rather peace,” while stressing that Lebanon’s “minimum requirement” in the negotiations is to obtain a “clear timetable” for Israel’s withdrawal from the south of the country.

Asked about a possible meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — reportedly encouraged by U.S. President Donald Trump — Salam said such a meeting would be “premature.” He added that “any high-level meeting with the Israeli side requires thorough preparation,” and that any progress toward such talks must also go through “the consolidation of the cease-fire” of April 17, which he said is being violated daily by both Israel and Hezbollah.

At least four people killed in Israeli airstrikes on Saksakieh

The Israeli airstrikes on the village of Saksakieh (Saida district) have killed at least four people, according to our correspondent in the South. The wounded were transferred to Alaa al-Din hospital in Sarafand.

An Israeli drone first struck a clothing store inside a commercial center on the main road in Saksakieh. The missile fired by the drone did not explode. Shortly after, warplanes carried out an airstrike on the center, destroying it completely and killing four people, most of them from the village of Ansarieh.

Among the victims were two people inside a car passing on the road at the time of the strike. Several nearby residential and commercial buildings were also damaged.

Israeli warplanes also carried out another strike on a second commercial center near the first, destroying it and damaging surrounding buildings, with no injuries reported.

Israel says it wants to 'seize every opportunity' to dismantle Hezbollah

The head of the Israeli army, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, vowed on Wednesday from southern Lebanon to dismantle Hezbollah, and said the army is also ready to launch a new offensive against Iran if necessary.

“We will seize every opportunity to deepen the dismantling of Hezbollah and continue to weaken it,” Zamir said during a visit to Israeli troops deployed in the Khiam area.

He added that the army is also “on high alert to resume a strong and powerful operation” if needed against Iran, in order to “deepen our gains and further weaken the regime.”

Iran is examining US proposal and will deliver its response via Pakistan

Tehran is currently reviewing a U.S. proposal aimed at ending the war and will communicate its response through Pakistani mediators, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, according to the ISNA news agency.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the document delivered by Washington via Pakistan is under review, adding that Iran will respond to the mediator once its assessment is complete. He did not specify a timeline.

Israeli army reiterates evacuation order issued earlier today for 12 villages in southern Lebanon and Beqaa Valley

In a post on X, the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee once again threatened to bomb Ghassaniyeh, Kawthariyet al-Siyyad, Mazraat al-Daoudieh and Ansarieh (Saida district), Harouf, Habboush and Deir Zahrani (Nabatieh), Bedias and Bazourieh (Sour), Qalaway (Bint Jbeil), Rihan (Jezzine) and Zellaya (West Bekaa). The army accuses Hezbollah of violating the cease-fire and urged residents to move at least one kilometer away from these localities.

Israeli airstrikes had already been reported today in some of these villages.

Trump says 'too soon” to prep for Iran peace signing after reports deal near

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that it was “too soon” to consider face-to-face talks with Tehran, according to an interview with the New York Post, as the United States awaited a response to its proposal aimed at ending the war.

US aircraft carrier USS Ford leaves the Mediterranean

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford left the Mediterranean on Wednesday, according to maritime tracking website MarineTraffic, a departure that reduces U.S. military capabilities in the Middle East amid a fragile truce with Iran.

Images posted on social media by amateur photographers show the American vessel — the world’s largest aircraft carrier — crossing westward through the Strait of Gibraltar with dozens of fighter jets stationed on its deck.

Trump threatens to bomb Iran if no deal is reached

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that if Iran honors what has been agreed to, the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran could end and the Strait of Hormuz reopen.

"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran.

"If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before," Trump said in post on Truth Social.

With the end of the 'threats of the aggressors,' safe and stable transit through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible, IRGC says

The naval forces of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that with the end of the “threats of the aggressors,” safe and stable transit through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible.

They also thanked ship captains and owners in the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman for their cooperation in transiting the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with Iranian regulations.

Update on the situation in southern Lebanon

Hezbollah announced that it had launched additional attack drones against Israeli targets in southern Lebanon, while Israeli phosphorus shelling was reported in Majdel Zoun.

Hezbollah said it launched an attack drone at an Israeli armored personnel carrier in the village of Qaouzah (Marjayoun) at 8:30 a.m. Hezbollah also claimed to have fired another attack drone at an Israeli Hummer vehicle in the village of Taybeh (Marjayoun) at 12:40 p.m. In a separate statement, the group said it launched a squadron of attack drones at Israeli vehicles and soldiers in the village of Naqoura (Sour) at 1:15 p.m.

Meanwhile, our correspondent in the South, reported that the Lebanese Army and Civil Defense entered the village of Mayfadoun (Nabatieh) to retrieve the bodies of people killed in previous Israeli airstrikes, after repeated calls for five days.

Our correspondent also reported that the Israeli strike on Rihane (Jezzine) about an hour ago targeted a former clinic located in the village square.

Israeli phosphorus shelling also targeted the village of Majdel Zoun (Sour).

Update on the situation in southern Lebanon

Israeli warplanes carried out two airstrikes on the village of Kfar Joz (Nabatieh), according to our correspondent in the South.

Meanwhile, the village of Bouyout al-Saydeh (Sour) has been under continuous Israeli artillery fire.

Hezbollah, for its part, said it launched an attack drone at an Israeli military vehicle in the al-Dawawir area of the village of Houla (Marjayoun) at 10:30 a.m.

Israeli army carried out a new strike in West Bekaa

An Israeli airstrike targeted the village of Qalya in West Bekaa, according to our correspondent in the region.

According to our correspondent, a new bombardment on Zellaya hit another house belonging to the village’s municipal president, who was killed in an Israeli strike earlier this morning.

Israeli army has begun striking 'Hezbollah targets in several areas' of Lebanon

The Israeli army announced on Wednesday that it has begun striking “several areas” of Lebanon, according to a statement relayed by AFP.

Earlier in the morning, it had called on residents of 12 villages in the south to evacuate the area.

Strait of Hormuz: commodity transits at lowest level since start of the war

Ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz have fallen to their lowest level since Monday, despite a U.S. attempt to reopen the strategic passage, according to maritime data from the company Kpler consulted by AFP on Wednesday.

Kpler, which tracks only commodity vessels, recorded just one crossing on Monday and none on Tuesday. Such a low number of crossings has never been observed since the start of the war.

In peacetime, around 120 transits per day are recorded, according to maritime news site Lloyd’s List. Before the war, the strait carried about one-fifth of global oil exports, as well as other essential raw materials.

The Nooh Gas, the only commodity carrier to cross the strait on Monday, was transporting a cargo of 11,357 tonnes of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which had been transferred from the Tania Star in a ship-to-ship operation on May 1 off the coast of Dubai. The destination of the Nooh Gas and its cargo is unknown. The Tania Star had loaded the shipment on April 25 at Iran’s Bandar Mahshahr port terminal.

A new Israeli airstrike targeted village of Zellaya in West Bekaa, according to our correspondent in the region

An earlier strike on Zellaya this morning had killed at least five people, including the village’s municipal president. Following that attack, the village was included in an Israeli army evacuation order that also listed several villages in southern Lebanon.

Two Israeli soldiers injured by Hezbollah explosive drone in southern Lebanon, Israeli army says

The Israeli army said that two soldiers were injured, one lightly and the other moderately, by explosive drones launched by Hezbollah near Israeli troops deployed in southern Lebanon.

It also said that a hostile aircraft deployed by Hezbollah was intercepted before entering Israeli territory, according to Haaretz.

Update on the situation in southern Lebanon

Israeli warplanes struck the village of Kounin (Bint Jbeil), according to our correspondent in the South.

Separately, Israeli artillery fire targeted Mansouri (Sour).

The Hezbollah also claimed an attack overnight, saying it fired artillery shells at Israeli soldiers near Bayyada (Sour).

A Civil Defense team, accompanied by the Lebanese Army, went to the village of Mayfadoun (Nabatieh) to evacuate four families trapped in the area. Local officials, residents, and rescue teams had called for urgent intervention due to the difficult humanitarian situation in and around Mayfadoun and Zawtar Sharqieh, following a series of Israeli strikes earlier today and last Saturday.

According to the Civil Defense team, Israeli forces have so far prevented ambulances from evacuating the wounded, and their fate remains unknown.

US and Iran are moving closer to a memorandum of understanding to end the war, according to a Pakistani source.

The United States and Iran are moving closer to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war, a Pakistani source involved in peace efforts told Reuters on Wednesday, confirming an Axios report.

“We will close this very soon. We are getting closer,” the source said.

Citing two U.S. officials and two other sources familiar with the matter, Axios reported that the White House is close to an agreement with Iran on a one-page memorandum aimed at ending the war and establishing a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.

White House believes it is close to a deal with Iran, Axios reports

The White House believes it is close to reaching an agreement with Iran on a one-page memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war and establishing a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations, Axios reported, citing two U.S. officials and two other sources familiar with the matter.

According to Axios, the United States is expecting Iranian responses on several key points within the next 48 hours. Nothing has yet been agreed, but sources said this is the closest the two sides have come to an agreement since the start of the war.

Among other provisions, the draft agreement would include Iran committing to a moratorium on uranium enrichment, the United States agreeing to lift sanctions and unfreeze billions of dollars in Iranian assets, and both sides easing restrictions on passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Many of the conditions in the memorandum would be “contingent on the conclusion of a final agreement, leaving open the possibility of a return to war or a prolonged status quo in which active fighting has ceased but nothing is truly resolved,” Axios added.

Hezbollah claims attack on Israeli soldiers in Taybeh

Hezbollah said it launched a drone at Israeli soldiers in the village square of Taybeh (Marjayoun) at 10:30 a.m., claiming a “confirmed hit.”

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon

Israeli warplanes carried out a new strike on the village of Yohmor al-Shaqif (Nabatieh), according to our correspondent in the South.

In addition, the villages of Yohmor al-Shaqif, Arnoun (Nabatieh) and Khiam (Marjayoun) came under Israeli artillery fire.

Head of the municipality of Zellaya in West Bekaa succumbs to wounds following Israeli strike

The head of the municipality of Zellaya (West Bekaa), Ali Ahmad, died of his injuries following the Israeli airstrike that targeted his home this morning, according to our correspondent in the region.

The strike also killed his wife and two children, as well as an elderly man from the village.

One person remains missing under the rubble, according to our correspondent.

Houses blown up by Israel in Khiam, strike near public school in Mayfadoun

An Israeli strike hit near the public school in Mayfadoun, in the Nabatieh district, according to our correspondent. The village had already been bombed earlier in the morning in a strike that killed one person. Artillery fire also targeted Qabrikha (Marjayoun).

In the eastern sector as well, several houses were blown up in Khiam.

Four killed in Israeli strike on Zellaya in West Bekaa

The Israeli strike on Zellaya in West Beqaa earlier this morning killed four people, according to our correspondent. Among the victims are the wife and son of the village’s municipal president.

Separately, an Israeli drone is flying at very low altitude over the Anti-Lebanon mountain range, above villages in southern and eastern Baalbeck.

A CMA CGM container ship attacked Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz

The container ship San Antonio, sailing under the Maltese flag and owned by the French shipping company CMA CGM, was “attacked” Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz, the company confirmed this morning.

The attack left “members of the crew injured,” who were “evacuated and treated,” and caused damage to the vessel, CMA CGM said in a brief statement to AFP.

The British maritime security agency UKTMO had earlier reported that a cargo ship was struck Tuesday around 18:30 GMT by a “projectile of unknown origin” in the Strait of Hormuz, without identifying the vessel.

Residents flee villages threatened in the Saida district

Many residents of Kawthariyet al-Siyyad, Ghassanieh and Ansarieh in the Saida district have fled their homes following Israeli threats targeting the three localities, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

Trump suspends naval escort operation in Hormuz in hope of Iran deal

Donald Trump announced late on Tuesday the suspension of his “Freedom Project” naval escort operation in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the move would allow time to see whether “an agreement can be finalized and signed” with Iran, following what he described as “major progress” in negotiations.

“We have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” he wrote.

He said the pause had been requested by Pakistan and other countries, while stressing that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, imposed on April 13, would remain in place. The “Freedom Project,” designed to help hundreds of ships stranded in the Gulf pass through the Strait, was launched on Monday.

One rescue worker killed and 4 injured in double overnight strike on Kfar Dounin

Overnight, Israeli strikes continued until around 1 a.m., according to our correspondent.

Bombardments targeted Braasheet and a house in Kfar Dounin, in the Bint Jbeil district, which was being used as a gathering point for paramedics from the Islamic Health Committee (a rescue association linked to Hezbollah), killing one person and injuring three others. A drone then struck a rescue team dispatched to the scene, injuring another paramedic.

An air raid on Adsheet (Nabatieh) also left several people wounded, while other strikes hit Rachknanieh (Sour) and Safad al-Batikh (Bint Jbeil). Artillery fire also targeted the outskirts of Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya), as well as Qantara and Adsheet al-Qsair (Marjeyoun) in the eastern sector.

Hezbollah, for its part, claimed responsibility overnight for a drone attack targeting Israeli soldiers in Qantara.

One killed in Israeli strike on Mayfadoun in Nabatieh, south Lebanon district this morning

Since this morning, in addition to the Israeli strike on Zellaya in West Beqaa — an area rarely hit since the cease-fire — air strikes have targeted Mayfadoun in the Nabatieh district, killing at least one person, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

Further strikes were also reported in the same region along the Litani River, between Zawtar Sharqieh and Zawtar Gharbieh, also located in the Nabatieh district.

Zawtar Sharqieh, which has been under repeated Israeli shelling in recent days, had also hit by Israeli artillery overnight.

Israeli army issues evacuation order of 12 villages in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa

As it has done daily since the end of last week, the Israeli army issued a forced evacuation order on Wednesday morning for 12 villages in southern Lebanon and, for the first time since the cease-fire came into effect, in the Bekaa Valley.

In a post on X, the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee threatened to bomb Ghassaniyeh, Kawthariyet al-Siyyad, Mazraat al-Daoudiyeh and Ansarieh (Saida district), Harouf, Habboush and Deir Zahrani (Nabatieh), Bedias and Bazourieh (Sour), Qalaway (Bint Jbeil), Rihan (Jezzine) and Zellaya (West Bekaa).

The army accuses Hezbollah of violating the cease-fire and urged residents to move at least one kilometer away from these areas.

This is the first time since the start of the war on March 2 that a village in the Jezzine district has been included in an evacuation warning.

Before these threats were issued, Zellaya was struck on Wednesday morning, according to our correspondent in the Bekaa. Multiple casualties have been reported.

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage.

Despite a cease-fire, Israeli continues to bombard southern Lebanon, where Israel has unilaterally decided to create a “buffer zone” and where its army is destroying entire villages. Hezbollah has also claimed attacks against Israeli forces.

We will also follow developments in the region, particularly in Iran, as U.S. president Donald Trump announced the suspension of his initiative to escort ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which sparked a surge in tensions.

➡️ Catch up on yesterday's live coverage here.