Israel’s military said Monday that an overnight strike in Lebanon killed Hussein Makled, head of Hezbollah’s intelligence arm. The attack followed rocket and drone fire by the Iran-backed group against Israel in retaliation to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a recent Israeli–U.S. operation against Iran.
🔴ELIMINATED: Hussein Makled, the head of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters was eliminated in a precise strike in Beirut.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 2, 2026
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Makled was responsible for “forming the intelligence picture using various intelligence collection tools to provide the Hezbollah terror organization with intelligence assessments regarding IDF troops and the State of Israel.”
“He also closely cooperated with senior commanders in Hezbollah who planned and advanced terror attacks against Israel and its citizens,” the IDF added.
On Sunday, sirens sounded across northern Israel as explosions were reported. The IDF said one projectile from Lebanon was intercepted, while several others landed in open areas, causing no casualties or damage.
Hezbollah later claimed responsibility for firing “a barrage of rockets and a swarm of drones” at a missile defense site south of Haifa, describing the strikes as retaliation not only for Khamenei’s killing but also for “repeated Israeli aggressions” since the November 2024 ceasefire ended the year-long conflict.
⭕️ In response to the rockets fired from Lebanon to Israel, the IDF precisely struck senior Hezbollah terrorists in Beirut, dozens of Hezbollah & Iranian terrorist regime command centers, and a site that was used by Hezbollah to store weapons in the Tyre.
The IDF is prepared…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 2, 2026
In response to the rocket attacks from Lebanon, the IDF also carried out precise strikes in Beirut targeting senior Hezbollah operatives, multiple Hezbollah and Iranian command centers, and a weapons storage site in Tyre. Lebanon’s disaster management unit reported that Israeli strikes across the country on Monday killed 52 people and left hundreds more injured.
⭕️ In response to the rockets fired from Lebanon to Israel, the IDF precisely struck senior Hezbollah terrorists in Beirut, dozens of Hezbollah & Iranian terrorist regime command centers, and a site that was used by Hezbollah to store weapons in the Tyre.
The IDF is prepared…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 2, 2026
Strikes also hit branches of the Al-Qard al-Hasan association, which the IDF said Hezbollah uses to manage finances, pay operatives, transfer funds from Iran, and purchase weapons. “Hezbollah’s economic activities and use of these branches pose a threat to Israeli citizens,” the military said.
Watch how Hezbollah raises huge funds of civilian money to pay for its weapons, infrastructure, and terrorists.
Our strikes today targeted the heart of this network, so that it can no longer fund terror. pic.twitter.com/2IZGtU86fW
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 2, 2026
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hezbollah would pay a “heavy price” for firing at Israel and called the group’s secretary-general, Naim Qassem, “now a marked target for assassination.”
Katz further warned: “Anyone who follows Khamenei’s path will soon find himself in the depths of hell with all the thwarted members of the axis of evil.”
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced a ban on Hezbollah’s military activities and demanded the group hand over its weapons.
Salam said the government had instructed the military and security forces to take “immediate steps” to enforce the decision and “to prevent any military operations or launches of missiles or drones from Lebanese territory.”
