Qaouk served as Commander of Hezbollah’s Preventative Security Unit and sat on the group’s Executive Council. He was targeted in an airstrike the day after one targeting Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah. The IDF announced his death on Sunday, which was later confirmed by Hezbollah.

“Qaouk was close to Hezbollah’s senior commanders and was directly engaged in terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and its citizens,” the IDF said. “He joined Hezbollah in the 1980s and was regarded as an important source of expertise in his field, having served as the Deputy Commander of the southern region on the Operational Council, Commander of the southern region and Deputy Commander of the Operational Council.”

“The IDF will continue to strike and eliminate the commanders within the Hezbollah terrorist organization and will act against anyone who threatens the citizens of the State of Israel,” it added.

Lebanese media says the target of the strike was Nabil Qaouk, deputy head of Hezbollah’s executive council. The fate of Hashem Safieddine, the current council head and expected successor to Nasrallah, remains unknown. https://t.co/mEFEafYZzf pic.twitter.com/ZhnS8JPfFN

— Ariel Oseran (@ariel_oseran) September 28, 2024

“The leadership of Hezbollah announces to the people of the resistance and the nation of the Mujahideen, and to the religious seminaries in Lebanon and abroad, the passing of His Eminence the Mujahid scholar Sheikh Nabil Qaouk, who was awarded the high divine martyrdom medal as a result of a treacherous Zionist raid in the Chiyah region,” Hezbollah said in its statement.

Hezbollah confirmed the same day that Ali Karaki, commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, was killed alongside Nasrallah. Nasrallah’s body was recovered on Saturday with no visible wounds, a medical source and a security source told Reuters — his death was credited to the severe shock of the blast.

After many months of caution and tit-for-tat strikes, Israel has been unceasingly striking Lebanon since its unprecedented pager and communications attack earlier this month, hitting thousands of targets and taking out nearly all of Hezbollah’s senior leadership. The attacks have left the militant group listless and largely unable to respond effectively.

Hashem Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah, is projected to take over as head of Hezbollah. His son is married to the daughter of assassinated Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Qassem Soleimani. Nasrallah had run the militant group for 32 years following the Israeli assassination of its previous leader.

Nasrallah’s death has led to fears of a reopening of sectarian violence in Lebanon, with shopkeepers and restaurants in Beirut closing until further notice, the New York Times reported.

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Israel’s decapitation of Hezbollah has made the option of an Israeli ground invasion more tempting than ever. On Saturday, U.S. officials told ABC News that small-scale ground operations and “border movements” are taking place or about to take place along the border. Another U.S. official told the outlet that Israel is preparing for a ground incursion into southern Lebanon.

Another invasion of Lebanon would be Israel’s fourth in 50 years, the previous ones occurring in 1978, 1982, and 2006.