The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced Sunday it had killed Nabil Kaouk, a top Hezbollah official, in a “precise IDF strike.”
Qaouk was Hezbollah’s commander of its preventative security unit and a member of their executive council. His death comes at a time of heightened tension between the two groups and concerns the war could grow.
“Qaouk was close to Hezbollah’s senior commanders and was directly engaged in terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and its citizens,” the IDF posted online.
The IDF said Qaouk had been with the Lebanese militant groups since the 1980s and was an “important source of expertise” in his field having previously held other leadership positions in the group.
On Saturday, Hezbollah confirmed Hassan Nasrallah was killed in a deadly strike in Beirut and pledged it would retaliate against Israel. The IDF confirmed it had targeted airstrikes on a Hezbollah command center in the Dahieh suburb of the Lebanese capital.
In a statement, President Biden said Nasrallah’s death was a “measure of justice.”
Hezbollah is likely to continue its attacks against Israel and restructure its organization after dealing with several major blows to its leadership in recent months. It will likely be backed by its primary sponsor, Iran.
The IDF is pledging to continue its strikes against Hezbollah leadership and said it “will act against anyone who threatens the citizens of the State of Israel.”
The strikes on Hezbollah leaders come just after an intense escalation in Israel’s nearly year-long conflict with Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, after Hamas invaded Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 200 hostages. Israel has conducted a deadly counteroffensive that has killed more than 41,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Despite world leaders calling on Israel to reach a cease-fire deal and move with caution so the war doesn’t escalate regionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a defiant tone Friday at the United Nations and told the world he would fight on.
