Israeli Strikes Eliminate Three Hezbollah Commanders, Destroy Hamas and Hezbollah Command Centers in South Lebanon

Israeli Strikes Eliminate Three Hezbollah Commanders, Destroy Hamas and Hezbollah Command Centers in South Lebanon

Amid renewed threats from Iran, the Israeli military carried out overnight and early morning strikes on Hezbollah and Hamas terrorist targets in southern Lebanon, regional news outlets reported Saturday morning.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that Hamas and Hezbollah command centers, as well as several missile arrays, were among the targets struck in the overnight operation.

A "large number" of Hezbollah operatives, members of the terror group's missile array, were killed in Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon last night, the IDF says.

The military says it targeted three command centers belonging to Hezbollah in the Baalbek area in the Beqaa… pic.twitter.com/mnLKLBvMan

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) February 21, 2026

The news comes as Iran rejected key U.S. demands and threatened to destroy American aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East.

Hezbollah and Hamas terrorist groups, both of which are armed, funded, and directed by Tehran, belong to the Iranian regime’s ‘ring of fire’ strategy to open multiple fronts against Israel. According to Israel’s Ynetnews, “The strikes come amid concerns that Hezbollah could join Iran in attacking Israel if the United States strikes the Iranian regime.”

Amid rising tensions, Israel may have targeted a high-level meeting of the Iranian Islamic Guard (IRGC) and Hezbollah commander, who were planning an offensive against Israel, unconfirmed reports suggest.

While the IDF did not identify the targeted terrorists, at least “three Hezbollah commanders” were eliminated, the Jerusalem Post reported. The newspaper continued:

The IDF killed three Hezbollah commanders in its latest attack in Baalbek, Lebanon, on Friday, according to a report by Saudi media outlet al-Hadath.

The commanders killed in the Baalbek strike were Ali Zeid al-Moussawi, Muhammad Ibrahim al-Moussawi, and Hussein Yaghi, according to the Arab language newspaper.

The report also mentioned that the strike targeted a commander meeting, while initial reports said that there was a possibility that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander was targeted in the strike.

The IDF also “struck and eliminated several terrorists” when it hit “Hezbollah’s missile array in three different command centers in the Baalbek area in Lebanon.” The strikes were in response to recent cross-border rocket and missile strikes on Israel, the military confirmed.

❗️ ELIMINATED: Several terrorists of Hezbollah’s missile array, in 3 different command centers in the Baalbek area in Lebanon.

They were identified as operating to accelerate readiness and force build-up processes, while planning fire attacks toward Israel and advancing terror… https://t.co/P4gbeyts52

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 21, 2026

The overnight Israeli operation also highlights Hamas’s increased terrorist activity in Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon.

On Friday, “the IDF struck a Hamas command center from which terrorists operated in the Ain al-Hilweh area in southern Lebanon,” the Israeli military said in a statement. “The command center was recently used by Hamas terrorists to plan and prepare terror attacks against IDF troops, as well as training activities intended to advance various attack plans against IDF troops and the State of Israel.”

The IDF, in the statement, vowed to act “against the entrenchment of the Hamas terrorist organization in Lebanon.”

A notable Israeli attack overnight in Ali el-Nahri, located in the Beqaa Valley, killing five Hezbollah members, some reportedly senior commanders.

Earlier on Friday, the IDF struck a Hamas command center in Ayn al-Hilweh, killing two suspected Hamas members. pic.twitter.com/jF9OngLcQZ

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) February 21, 2026

Hours after that strike, the IDF acknowledged hitting a Hezbollah terrorist base in the same area. “A short while ago, the IDF struck Hezbollah command centers used by the organization’s terrorists to advance terror attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel in the Baalbek area in Lebanon,” the military disclosed.

“The terrorists’ activity in the command center constitutes a violation of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon and a threat against the State of Israel,” the IDF said.

The IDF says it struck Hezbollah command centers in the Baalbek area in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley. Lebanese media reported six Israeli strikes on three buildings, with Saudi Al-Hadath saying that one of the strikes targeted the home of a senior Hezbollah commander. pic.twitter.com/yrchMb9kZQ

— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) February 20, 2026

Hezbollah continues its terrorist buildup on Israel’s northern border despite a ceasefire agreed in November 2024. Under the U.S.-brokered deal, the Lebanese government was required to disarm Hezbollah by December 31, 2025. With Beirut reneging on the ceasefire promise to demilitarise Hezbollah, Israel has been compelled to ensure safety on its borders.

“Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in 2024 intended to end more than a year of cross-border fire that culminated in Israeli strikes that weakened the Iran-aligned group,” Reuters recalled Saturday, noting that. “U.S. and Israeli officials have pressed Lebanese authorities to curb Hezbollah’s arsenal.”

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