JERUSALEM, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli military said on Thursday that the commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force was killed in an airstrike in Beirut a day earlier.
The commander, identified as Malek Balout, was killed in Beirut's southern suburbs, the military said in a statement.
There was no immediate confirmation from Hezbollah.
Balout directed Radwan Force militants in carrying out "dozens" of attacks against Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, including anti-tank missile fire and the detonation of explosive devices. He also led efforts to rehabilitate the unit, said the statement.
The announcement came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that an airstrike in Beirut had targeted the commander in an attempt to kill him, without elaborating on his condition.
The strike was the first reported Israeli attack on Beirut since a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect on April 16, though Israeli troops remain deployed in southern Lebanon, where fighting has continued.
