How did Israel weaken Hezbollah by killing these seven senior officials last week?

Israel killed seven senior Lebanese Hezbollah commanders after launching one of the largest airstrikes ever against the Iran-backed militant groups. The attack also killed hundreds of people, including women and children, and escalated a full-scale war-like situation in the Middle East. The Israeli strikes killed the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, Nabil Kaouk, Nabil Kaouk and four other key leaders of the militant group.

The surprise attack came after Hezbollah opened a front in support of its ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a day after the Palestinian group's horrific attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Overeffect in the rest of the Middle East region. The killing of key militants is also likely to weaken Hezbollah's leadership and give Israel an advantage in the conflict. Here's everything you need to know about the seven Hezbollah fighters killed in the Israeli attack.

What does the killing of top commanders mean for Hezbollah?

Several experts have suggested that Israel's latest attack on Hezbollah differed from previous actions on several fronts. One of the experts described the assassination of Nasrullah as a bigger event than Osama Bin Laden.

“This is something completely different from previous attacks. It was a complete beheading.” “Former Australian general and military analyst Mick Ryan described Nasrullah's death as more important than the killing of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011,” said Lawrence Freedman, professor emeritus of war studies at King's College in London, told Bloomberg.

Hassan Nasarallah

The militant group's leader had led the group through several wars with Israel since 1992. He also witnessed the party's transformation into a powerful player in Lebanon. Hezbollah entered Lebanon's political scene while also participating in regional conflicts that made it the strongest paramilitary force. He also played a crucial role in keeping Syrian President Bashar Assad in power after the 2011 public uprising in Syria. Under Nasrallah, Hezbollah also helped expand the capabilities of other Iranian-backed armed groups in Iraq and Yemen.

Nabil Kaouk

Kaouk, who was killed in an airstrike on Saturday, was deputy chairman of Hezbollah's Central Council. He joined the militant group in its early days in the 1980s. Kaouk was also Hezbollah's military commander in southern Lebanon from 1995 to 2010. He made several media appearances and gave speeches to supporters, including at funerals of killed Hezbollah fighters. He was considered a potential successor to Nasrallah.

Ibrahim Akil

Akil was a senior commander and led Hezbollah's elite Radwan forces, which Israel is trying to push further away from its border with Lebanon. He was also a member of the highest military body, the Jihad Council, and was on the United States wanted list for years. According to the US State Department, Akil was part of the group that carried out the 1983 bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut and orchestrated the hostage-taking of German and American hostages.

Ahmad Wehbe

Wehbe was commander of the Radwan forces and played a crucial role in the group's development since its founding nearly two decades ago. He was killed along with Akil in an airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs that hit and leveled a building.

Ali Karaki

Karaki led Hezbollah's southern front and played a key role in the ongoing conflict. The US described him as a significant figure in the militant group's leadership. Little is known about Karaki, who was killed along with Nasrallah.

Mohammad Surour

Surour was the head of Hezbollah's drone unit, which was used for the first time in this current conflict with Israel. Under his leadership, Hezbollah fired exploding drones and reconnaissance drones deep into Israel, penetrating its defense systems that had focused primarily on the group's rockets and missiles.

Ibrahim Kobeissi

Kobeissi led Hezbollah's missile unit. According to the Israeli military, in 2000 Kobeissi plotted to kidnap and murder three Israeli soldiers on the northern border, whose bodies were returned four years later as part of a prisoner swap with Hezbollah.