Israeli airstrikes kill senior Hezbollah leader; 30+ reported dead across Lebanon

Shafaq News- Lebanon (Updated at 8:50 a.m.)

Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc Al-Wafa for the Resistance, was killed in recent Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, Israeli and Arab media reported on Monday, marking a sharp escalation in the ongoing confrontation along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, the death toll since Israel launched its strikes at dawn on Monday has risen to 31 people across southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, with 149 others injured. Authorities have not released a final breakdown of civilian and combatant casualties.

Following the first wave of strikes across several Lebanese regions, the commander of Israel’s Northern Command said Hezbollah had “chosen the Iranian regime over the State of Lebanon and launched an attack on our citizens.”

“We prepared for this, and it will pay a heavy price,” he added in remarks carried by Israeli media.

Raad has long been one of Hezbollah’s most prominent political figures, leading the bloc that represents the group in Lebanon’s parliament and playing a key role in shaping its political stance during periods of heightened tensions.

Hezbollah had not issued an immediate official statement at the time of publication, and the Israeli military has not formally detailed the identities of those targeted.

The latest developments come amid intensifying exchanges of rocket fire, drone attacks, and airstrikes, which have displaced thousands in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, raising concerns of a broader regional escalation.