IDF Conducts Strikes in Beirut; Eliminates 5 Senior Commanders in IRGC Quds Force's Lebanon Corps
IDF announced on Monday that a precision naval strike in central Beirut has eliminated five senior commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force. The operation, conducted as part of the ongoing 'Operation Roaring Lion,' targeted the officials while they were reportedly meeting at a hotel in the capital's seaside Raouche district.
Tel Aviv, March 9: The Israeli Defence Forces shared on Monday that it has eliminated five senior commanders in the IRGC Quds Force's Lebanon Corps in a precise strike in Beirut. In a post on X, it noted that those eliminated were Daoud Ali Zadeh, Commander of the Lebanon Corps; Majid Hassini, who was responsible for transferring funds to branches of Iran in Lebanon; Ali Reza Bi-Azar, Commander of the intelligence sector of the Lebanon Corps; and Hasan Ahmadlo, an intelligence operative in the Lebanon Corps, among others. The IDF said that these were eliminated in the Roaring Lion Operation.
In another post on X, the IDF said that it also eliminated Abu al-Qassem Baba'iyan, the new Head of the Military Office of the Supreme Leader and the Chief of Staff of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters. Mojtaba Khamenei, Son of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Named His Successor, Says Iranian State TV.
IDF Eliminates 5 Senior Commanders in IRGC Quds Force's Lebanon Corps
"Baba'iyan was responsible for coordinating between the Iranian terror regime's various force employment organizations to execute operations and emergency operations. His elimination joins a series of eliminations of senior figures in the Iranian terror regime conducted by the IDF since the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion and prior to it", the post added.
As conflict widens in West Asia and the Gulf region, Al Jazeera Breaking reported on Monday that a Saudi Ministry of Defence spokesperson said a ballistic missile launched towards Prince Sultan Air Base was intercepted and destroyed. It further mentioned that the Saudi Defence Ministry said its forces had shot down two drones north of the capital city of Riyadh. UAE Intercepts Iranian Missile and Drone Barrage; Debris Hits Dubai Marina Tower (Watch Videos).
PressTV reported on Monday that Hezbollah carried out a second retaliatory missile strike on Kiryat Shmona on Sunday. Meanwhile, IRNA shared in a post on X in the early hours of Monday that the IRGC announced on Sunday evening the launch of the 29th wave of Operation True Promise 4 by new-generation missiles of the IRGC Aerospace Force. It further mentioned that this was against the targets in "Tel Aviv, the Negev Desert, and the American terrorist airbase in the region."
Meanwhile, the US CENTCOM shared that another US service member passed away from injuries. As per the CENTCOM, the service member was seriously wounded in Saudi Arabia on March 1. This takes the death toll of American military personnel to seven.
Earlier, the General Directorate of Saudi Civil Defence said on Sunday that an Indian and a Bangladeshi national were killed after a projectile struck a residential area in Al-Kharj city. The incident also resulted in injuries to 12 Bangladeshis. The developments follow amid escalating tensions in West Asia after a joint US-Israel military strike on February 28 on Iranian territory resulted in the death of its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, prompting a fierce response from Tehran.
In retaliation, Iran launched waves of drone and missile attacks across multiple Arab countries. Now in its 9th day, the conflict has seen the humanitarian toll in Iran continuing to rise. According to Al Jazeera, the scale of the devastation is mounting, with official figures revealing that "over 1,300 people have been killed" since the violence began.
The intensification of the fighting is such that "around 100,000 have been displaced", as residents are "forcing many to flee their homes" in search of safety. This mass movement of people has overwhelmed relief efforts, as the UN refugee agency reports a "surge in urgent calls for assistance" to address the growing needs of the affected population.
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