Jerusalem
An Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said on Sunday, as tensions continued to rise despite a ceasefire reached in 2024. Lebanese state media reported that at least four people were killed and five others injured in the strike.
The Israeli military identified the commander as Abu Hassan Alaa, a senior figure in Hezbollah’s Badr regional division. It said he was killed late Saturday in an airstrike on Deir al-Zahrani. Israel described the operation as a response to an earlier Hezbollah drone attack targeting Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, which injured three soldiers.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes struck a two-storey building in Deir al-Zahrani. The attack came after another deadly Israeli operation in the southern village of Ansar, where seven people were reportedly killed in heavy airstrikes on Saturday.
The Israeli military also said it had killed Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, described as a battalion commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force. According to the IDF, he was targeted at a Hezbollah headquarters in Ansar after an attack against Israeli forces operating in what Israel calls a security zone.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stressed the importance of maintaining an international presence in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said peacekeepers continue to support implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which she described as a foundation for stability in the region.
Ardiel said UNIFIL was also supporting efforts to strengthen the Lebanese army and expand state authority across southern Lebanon amid continuing security concerns.
