From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 7, 2026
Netanyahu says slain Hezbollah commander thought ‘he had immunity in Beirut’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues his recent tough talk, this time in the wake of the killing of the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force in Beirut.
“This is the same senior terrorist who led the plan to conquer the north,” he says in a video statement. “He believed he could continue directing attacks against our forces and our communities from his hidden terrorist headquarters in Beirut.”
“He apparently read in the press that he had immunity in Beirut. So he read — and that will no longer happen.”
Netanyahu boasts that in the past month, Israel has killed more than 200 Hezbollah operatives.
“We are doing the same thing in Gaza — eliminating terrorist cells, including yesterday,” he says.
In both theaters — as well as in Iran — a US-backed ceasefire is in place, and both Hamas and Hezbollah refuse to disarm.
“I say to our enemies in the clearest possible way,” Netanyahu continues, “no terrorist has immunity. Anyone who threatens Israel puts his own life at risk.”
Netanyahu faces a national election within the next six months, in which his leadership of the post-October 7, 2023, wars is sure to be a central issue.
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