The Media Line: Quds Commander Targeted in IDF Beirut Strike, IDF Says  

Quds Commander Targeted in IDF Beirut Strike, IDF Says  

By The Media Line  

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a military strike on Thursday in Beirut, targeting a commander tied to Iran’s Quds Force as Israel signaled a tougher military posture in Lebanon.  

Iran earlier in the week indicated that an Israeli strike on Lebanon’s capital would harm peace negotiations between the US and Iran.   

According to Israeli officials, the target of the strike was Ali al-Husni, identified as the missile commander in the Imam Hussein Division, a force linked to Iran’s Quds Force. The operation followed the IDF’s expansion of military activity in Lebanon beyond the Yellow Line.  

The IDF has not yet indicated whether al-Husni was killed in the operation.   

The strike marked a shift in Israeli operations after previous indications that Israel would avoid military action in Beirut.  

Walla reported that a senior IDF officer said Wednesday that Beirut was no longer considered off limits for Israeli strikes. The officer stated that if operational opportunities arose in the Lebanese capital, the military would act against Hezbollah targets.  

A security source said Israel’s political leadership had “removed the restraints” and granted the IDF broad operational freedom against Hezbollah because of what the source described as severe violations of the ceasefire agreement by the terrorist organization that resulted in several Israeli military casualties.  

Earlier this week, Israel’s political-security cabinet discussed efforts to avoid steps that could be viewed as interfering with US negotiations surrounding a proposed agreement aimed at ending the Iranian conflict, according to officials familiar with the discussions.  

Participants in the meeting agreed not to strike Beirut, the officials said. The political leadership also rejected a proposal by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir to demolish buildings in Beirut’s Dahieh district.  

According to Al Jazeera, an Iranian source said Tehran warned the United States that an Israeli strike on Beirut would seriously harm ongoing peace talks focused on ending the conflict.