The Israeli military has confirmed that a precision airstrike conducted between March 23 and 24, 2026, in Hazmieh, an upscale suburb of Beirut, resulted in the death of Muhammad Ali Kourani, an operative affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force. According to official statements released by the Israel Defense Forces, the operation specifically targeted an individual described as actively advancing terrorist activities directed by Iranian intelligence networks operating from within Lebanese territory. Reports indicate that Kourani had rented an apartment in the “Gharib” building approximately two months prior to the strike, situating himself in close proximity to Lebanon’s presidential palace. The strike marked a significant escalation in Israel’s ongoing efforts to disrupt Iran-linked operational infrastructure in Lebanon. Israeli authorities further clarified that this was not the first attempt to neutralize Kourani, noting that he had narrowly avoided a previous strike on the Comfort Hotel in the same area shortly before the incident. Hezbollah-affiliated channels subsequently confirmed his death, referring to him as “the commander” and by the alias “Haj Sadiq,” while circulating visual confirmations. Publicly available data on Kourani’s biography remains limited, with most details emerging only after the strike, though he is widely identified in Israeli and regional reporting as a Quds Force operative engaged in facilitating coordinated militant activity linked to Iran-Hezbollah networks.
Distinction Clarified Between Beirut Operative and Previously Convicted U.S.-Based Hezbollah Agent
It is important to distinguish Muhammad Ali Kourani from Ali Kourani, a Lebanese-American operative affiliated with Hezbollah’s Islamic Jihad Organization who was convicted in a United States federal court in 2019 for plotting attacks in New York City. The latter has remained in U.S. custody since 2017 and is unrelated to the 2026 Beirut operation. As of March 24, 2026, no additional verified biographical or operational details regarding Kourani’s role within the Quds Force have been disclosed in open sources.