Israeli Airstrike Killed Hezbollah Communications Chief in Beirut Day Before Iran Minister Arrived For ‘Talks’

Iran’s foreign minister arrived in Beirut on Friday for talks and to solidify Tehran’s support for Lebanon, a day after the Israeli military said it had killed the head of Hezbollah’s communication chief in an airstrike.

Abbas Araghchi, the first Iranian official to visit Lebanon since Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week, met with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, the Associated Press reported.

Echoing the words of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Araghchi said the Islamic Republic’s missile attack Tuesday on Israel was in “legitimate self defense” and warned that any retaliation by Israel would be dealt with harshly.

“If the Israeli entity takes any step or measure against us, our retaliation will be stronger than the previous one,” he said after meeting Berri, the AP reported.

On Friday, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that Mohammad Rashid Sakafi, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Communications Unit, was killed in a “precise, intelligence-based strike in Beirut” on Thursday.

“Sakafi was a senior Hezbollah terrorist, who was responsible for the communications unit since 2000. Sakafi invested significant efforts to develop communication capabilities between all of Hezbollah’s units,” the IDF said in a posting on X.

Israeli strikes overnight also targeted Hashem Safieddine, the potential successor to Nasrallah.

While in Lebanon, Araghchi said that Iran backs a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah but only if a pause in the fighting takes effect in Gaza.

Iran would support the agreement on the condition that it “preserves the right of the Lebanese people, that it be accepted by the resistance (Hezbollah) and coincides with a cease-fire in Gaza,” the AP reported.