The ministry said on Saturday that a Radwan Force commander placed his family inside the group's military headquarters in southwestern Lebanon, using them as human shields. The commander was killed in an IDF airstrike on the site overnight Friday.
Israel's Foreign Ministry on Saturday accused Hezbollah of using a Radwan Force commander's family as human shields, placing them inside the group's military headquarters in southwestern Lebanon before the commander was killed in an IDF airstrike overnight Friday. The statement, published on the ministry's X account, did not name the commander but identified him as a member of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force. The accusation came as the IDF confirmed the elimination of Abu Hassan Alaa, a senior commander in Hezbollah's Badr unit and Radwan Force, in a strike on Saturday in the Deir al-Zahrani area. Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier on Sunday that Israel would ensure no account remains open, warning of a forceful response to any Hezbollah violation.
The Zioneer has been tracking this story. On Sunday at 08:01 Jerusalem, the IDF confirmed the elimination of Abu Hassan Alaa, a senior commander in Hezbollah's Badr unit, in a strike on Saturday in the Deir al-Zahrani area, following a Hezbollah action against Israeli forces operating in the security zone. Defense Minister Katz said Israel would protect its soldiers and civilians with force. Earlier, at 02:08 Jerusalem, reports indicated that the strike killed the commander and five of his family members, with the IDF stating that it was not aware of their presence initially. The Foreign Ministry's statement on Saturday directly addressed the issue of the family's presence, framing it as a deliberate use of human shields.
The incident highlights the ongoing challenge of Hezbollah embedding military infrastructure in civilian areas, a tactic Israel says complicates efforts to avoid non-combatant casualties. As The Zioneer reported on June 11, 2026, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported 15 killed in recent strikes, but without distinguishing combatants from civilians. The Lebanese foreign minister has also described Hezbollah as an unlawful military organization and an Iranian arm.
The Foreign Ministry did not name the commander in its statement, though subsequent IDF reports named him as Abu Hassan Alaa. The extent to which the family members were used as human shields, as opposed to being present at the headquarters for other reasons, remains based on Israeli intelligence assessments.
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