Photo by Anthony Hershko/TPS on 22 January, 2024

Radwan Force Commander Killed in Israeli Airstrike, New Hezbollah Leader to Give First Speech

Public By Pesach Benson • 30 October, 2024

Jerusalem, 30 October, 2024 (TPS) -- The Israel Defense Forces disclosed the elimination of a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force in an airstrike on Wednesday shortly before Hezbollah’s new leader was due to make his first speech.

Mustafa Ahmad Shahadi was the Deputy Commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces in the area of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, the IDF said.

“Shahadi was previously responsible for the Radwan Forces’ operations during combat in Syria between 2012 and 2017, and additionally oversaw terror attacks in southern Lebanon,” the army said.

Hezbollah’s new leader, Naim Qassem, was due to give his first speech on Wednesday afternoon. The Iran-backed terror group announced Qassem’s appointment on Monday, replacing Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah was killed in an airstrike in Beirut. Hashem Safieddine, who was widely viewed as Nasrallah’s successor, was subsequently killed by Israel.

In response to Hezbollah’s announcement, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tweeted, “Temporary appointment. Not for long.”

Also on Wednesday, two people suffered shrapnel injuries during a Hezbollah barrage in the area of Metula. Meanwhile, a drone launched by Hezbollah damaged an industrial building in Nahariya. A photo circulating in the Israeli media showed damage to a corrugated steel roof and some broken windows.

After the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, Hezbollah began firing rockets and launching drones at northern Israel communities daily. More than 68,000 residents of northern Israel are displaced from their homes. Hezbollah leaders have repeatedly said they would continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes.

According to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, the terror group is forbidden from operating in southern Lebanon.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 97 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead. Hamas has also been holding captive two Israeli civilians since 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.