Israel Kills Another Senior Hezbollah Leader After Taking out Nasrallah

People gather near the site of the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, on Sept. 29, 2024. Hassan Ammar/AP Photo

Israel took out another senior Hezbollah member on Sept. 29—days after killing the terrorist group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah—the country’s military announced.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut that killed Nabil Qaouk, the commander of Hezbollah’s Preventative Security Unit and a member of its executive council, which is in charge of the organization’s economic and social operations.

“Qaouk was close to Hezbollah’s senior commanders and was directly engaged in terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and its citizens,” the IDF posted on social media platform X.

“He joined Hezbollah in the 1980s and was regarded as an important source of expertise in his field, having served as the deputy commander of the southern region on the Operational Council, commander of the southern region and deputy commander of the Operational Council.”

The United States sanctioned Qaouk in October 2020.

“In recent years, he has spoken publicly on behalf of Hezbollah, threatening war with Israel, denouncing the U.S. presence in the region, and lauding Hezbollah’s use of guerrilla warfare, which serves only to erode security in Lebanon,” the Treasury Department said when it announced the sanctions.

Additionally, “he delivered speeches on behalf of Hezbollah at several ceremonies commemorating deceased Hezbollah terrorists,” the Treasury stated.

The strike that took out Qaouk was followed by another one in Beirut, according to the military, which did not immediately release details.

Qaouk’s death comes two days after the IDF took out Nasrallah in a strike on Hezbollah’s central headquarters in suburban Beirut.

President Joe Biden applauded the strike, calling it “a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians.”

“The strike that killed Nasrallah took place in the broader context of the conflict that began with Hamas’s massacre on October 7, 2023,” Biden said. “Nasrallah, the next day, made the fateful decision to join hands with Hamas and open what he called a ‘northern front’ against Israel.”

The strike that eliminated Nasrallah also resulted in the death of Ali Karaki, the commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front. Twenty other Hezbollah officials were also killed, according to the IDF.

The IDF has taken out most of Hezbollah’s senior leadership, according to the military.

“I think having decimated the command structure of Hezbollah certainly works to the Israelis’ advantage,” White House National Security communications adviser John Kirby said on ABC’s “This Week.”

“It’s actually good for the region, good for the world.”

Kirby reiterated the Biden administration’s calls for deescalation between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.