Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 18, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 18, 2026
IDF: Senior Islamic Jihad commander killed in Israeli airstrike in Lebanon
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
An emergency worker inspects the damage following an Israeli strike on an apartment building in Baalbek, Lebanon, on May 18, 2026. (AFP)
A senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley last night, the military announces.
Wael Mahmoud Abd al-Halim, who served as the commander of Islamic Jihad in the Beqaa region, was targeted in a strike on the outskirts of the city of Baalbek. Lebanese media reported that Halim’s 17-year-old daughter was killed alongside him.
The IDF says Halim led efforts to integrate Islamic Jihad operatives into “combat operations alongside Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon,” and also advanced other attacks on troops in recent weeks.
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