Israel eliminates Hezbollah leader following Iranian strike promise

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday killed another Hezbollah commander, striking a blow to the Iran-backed terrorist group as the Jewish state weighs its response to Iran’s Saturday missile attack, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The IDF on Tuesday said it had killed Ismail Yusef Baz, who served in the Lebanese terrorist group for decades before rising to the rank of commander. Baz oversaw some of Hezbollah’s missile launches and other terror operations against Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Israeli strikes have killed around 270 Hezbollah fighters, including nearly a dozen senior officials, since Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack on southern Israel. As recently as last Monday, the IDF eliminated a Hezbollah field commander who had directly planned and executed attacks against Israelis.

Multiple sources told the Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that Israel has also decided how, but not when, it would retaliate against Iran for launching more than 300 missiles and drones toward it over the weekend.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari earlier on Tuesday said Iran would not get off “scot-free” for its weekend attack against Israel. “We will respond [to Iran’s attack] in our time, in our place, in the way that we will choose,” the IDF spokesman said.

On Monday, the Washington Post reported Israel is weighing a forceful response that would “send a message” to Tehran but not result in casualties or an escalation into a wider regional war.