Israel says its forces have killed a member of Iran’s Quds Force in Lebanon, identifying the man as Hussein Mahmoud Marshad al-Jawhari and alleging he helped plan attacks from Syria and Lebanon.
In a statement, the Israeli military described al-Jawhari as a key operative in the Quds Force’s Unit 840 and said he “operated under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)” in terrorist activities directed by Iran against Israel and its security forces. The military said he was killed in the area of Ansariyeh, without specifying when or how the operation took place.
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The military did not provide evidence to support its claims or additional operational details. There was no immediate comment from Iran or Lebanese authorities, and the assertions could not be independently verified.
Israel’s identification of al-Jawhari as affiliated with Unit 840 underscores the stakes of cross-border security in the Israel-Lebanon-Syria arena, where rival claims, covert operations and deniable tactics have frequently shaped the battlefield. Still, the military statement offered few specifics beyond naming the operative and linking him to alleged plots from Lebanon and Syria.
The development comes against the backdrop of a U.S.-backed ceasefire agreed in November 2024 between Israel and Hezbollah. That deal ended more than a year of fighting and requires Hezbollah’s disarmament, beginning in areas south of the river adjacent to Israel. The Israeli statement did not address whether the incident would affect the truce or the timetable for disarmament measures.
Israel and Iran’s IRGC have long traded accusations over targeted killings, sabotage and proxy activity across the region. In this instance, Israel’s account places the killing on Lebanese territory and attributes al-Jawhari’s activities to direction from Tehran, framing the operation as a preemptive move against planned attacks.
Lebanese officials and Hezbollah, which has frequently disputed Israeli claims in past incidents, had not commented publicly as of publication. Without corroborating details from the scene or third-party confirmation, the circumstances of al-Jawhari’s death, including the tools and timing of the operation, remain unclear.
Israel’s announcement is likely to draw scrutiny in Beirut and Tehran for its timing and implications, as the ceasefire’s provisions require sensitive steps on disarmament in parts of Lebanon. The absence of immediate responses from Iranian or Lebanese officials leaves open questions about potential diplomatic or security repercussions.
This is a developing story.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
