Around 2 a.m. on Monday, March 2, 2026, at least eight civilians were killed, and a number of civilians were injured in (a) declared Israeli airstrike(s) on the southern suburbs of Beirut. Hussein Yahya Muqallid, the head of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut, was also killed. According to Lebanese medical sources and Reuters, the number of deaths was at least 10.
On Twitter/X, @qudsn reported the incident at 2:35 a.m., informing about casualties and injuries, while the first videos showing the bombardment appeared on social media around 2 a.m.
On Facebook, @Bob Kassab and @”Supporter of the oppressed” reported that there were casualties and injuries resulting from the strike. Airwars researchers have identified eight civilians who had been killed, but the identities of the injured remain unknown. According to @Check_lebanon on Twitter/X, the wounded were transferred to Rasoul Al-A’zam, Bahman, and Al-Sahel hospitals.
Airwars was able to identify the names of six of the eight civilians reportedly killed. Esteemed scholar and judge Sheikh Abdullah Muhammad Shaito was killed along with his eldest son, engineer Muhammad Hassan Abdullah Shaito, and his daughter, Hajja Zahra al-Din Abdullah Shaito.
Sheikh Abdullah Shaito used to be a Sharia judge. The Vice President of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, His Eminence Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, mourned his death, highly praising his life and achievements: “With the martyrdom of Sheikh Abdullah Shaito, we have lost a dear brother and a virtuous scholar, distinguished by his excellence, knowledge, and piety. He was a model of the dedicated scholar who spent most of his life serving the faith, conveying its rulings, and spreading the Islamic creed.” In his images shared on social media, Sheikh Abdullah is seen as a middle-aged man with a grey beard and wearing a traditional white turban.
His daughter, Zahra Shaito, was an active member of Toastmasters International, a global organization that helps people improve their public speaking and leadership skills. On behalf of this organisation, @Shaima Sawas on Facebook lamented Zahra’s death, writing that “she was a teacher and mentor to us before she was a colleague on the stage. She instilled confidence in our hearts, guided us on our path, and taught us that words carry weight and presence has an impact.“ She is seen in the images on social media as a young woman, wearing a grey headscarf.
A brother of Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah and President of the Lebanese University of Sciences and Arts (USAL), Dr. Muhammad Rida Fadlallah, was killed alongside his wife, Fatima al-Sayyid Ali al-Hakim. The Al-Mabarrat Charitable Association mourned Muhammad’s passing, calling him a “martyr of knowledge and education, the esteemed educator, Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Reda Fadlallah, an intellectual figure who dedicated his life to building minds.” The image of the late Dr. Fadlallah shows an elderly man with short grey hair and a grey beard in front of a Lebanese flag.
Head of the Hezbollah party’s executive office, Sheikh Ali Musa Damoush, was also among the victims of the strike. His image, shared by “Waterwheels of Hama” on Facebook, shows a middle-aged man with a thick black beard and glasses, wearing a black abaya and a white turban, standing in front of a microphone. While Hezbollah operates an active militant wing, its political presence is also deeply enmeshed within the state of Lebanon, providing social and organisational services, primarily in the Shia majority areas in Southern Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley, and the suburbs of Beirut. With this context in mind, Airwars is not considering an association with Hezbollah to equate with militant/non-civilian status. Given that there is no indication of militant activities, Sheikh Ali Musa Damoush has been counted as a civilian. Airwars will update the incident should new information become available.
According to Mustafa Ali Khan on Facebook, among the victims was also Dr. Maryam Fadlallah and her daughter.
The Israeli Defense Forces announced the killing of Hussein Muqallid on their Twitter/X account on the same day: “ELIMINATED: Hussein Makled, the head of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters, was eliminated in a precise strike in Beirut.” The military published an update later in the day, describing Muqallid’s role within Hezbollah in more depth.
A statement by @AvichayAdraee, the IDF spokesperson, further alleged that Muqallid had held a series of positions within Hezbollah’s intelligence apparatus and had assumed his post after the killing of his predecessor, Hussein Hazimeh, during Operation Northern Arrows, along with Hashem Safieddine. According to IDF, “he was responsible for developing intelligence profiles through various information-gathering methods to determine intelligence assessments of the IDF and the State of Israel. He also collaborated with senior Hezbollah commanders who planned and directed terrorist plots against the State of Israel and its citizens.”
Aya Farhat on Facebook corroborated Muqallid’s Hezbollah affiliation, referring to him as a Commander and stating that he was a “resistance fighter from the prime of his youth.” Given Hussein’s role in Hezbollah, Airwars has counted him as a militant.
As the IDF confirmed the assassination of Hussein Muqallid, Airwars has graded the strike status of the incident as “declared.” However, the Israeli military did not acknowledge the civilian harm resulting from the attack. Hence, the civilian harm status of the incident has been graded as “fair.”