The Israeli airstrike that rocked the southern suburbs of Beirut at dawn on Tuesday targeted Hassan Bdair, the deputy head of Hezbollah’s Palestinian Affairs unit. What do we know about him, and why was he targeted?
According to a source quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP), Hassan Bdair was at his family home when the strike occurred. He and his son Ali were among the four killed in the attack.
“Hostile Activities Against Israel”
Following the strike, Israeli Channel 14 reported that Israeli intelligence services had information indicating that Bdair was planning an attack on an Israeli aircraft in Cyprus.
In a joint statement, the Israeli army and the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security service) confirmed that the operation “targeted a Hezbollah operative coordinating with Hamas.” According to Israeli authorities, Bdair—also the brother of Hezbollah’s war media chief—had recently overseen Palestinian operatives and assisted in planning a major and imminent attack against Israeli civilians.
A Photo Fueling Speculation
Shortly after Bdair’s identity was revealed, a photograph of him began circulating on social media. The image shows him aboard a plane with Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the former head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces—both of whom were killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad in January 2020.
No details have been disclosed about the date or destination of the flight, but the release of this image has fueled suspicions about Bdair’s strategic involvement in Hezbollah’s operations beyond Lebanon.
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