A senior Hezbollah commander was killed by an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, according to the terrorist organization supported by Iran.
The leader was identified in a statement announcing his death as 1969-born Sami Abdallah, often known as Abu Taleb.
According to a military source in Lebanon, the commander was “the most important in Hezbollah to be killed up to now since the start of the war” in Gaza between Israel and the militant Palestinian organization Hamas, which has heightened tensions along the border between Lebanon and Israel.
According to the source, three further persons were killed in the attack that struck the town of Jouaiyya, which is located nine miles (15 km) from the Israeli border.
Later on, Hezbollah declared the death of a second fighter, who was identified as Muhammad Hussein Sabra, popularly known as Baqer, by a source close to the Shiite Muslim movement.
Since the start of the Gaza War, which was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, Israeli forces and Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, have engaged in almost constant gunfire.
There have been numerous brush fires on both sides of the border as a result of the recent escalation in the firefight between Israeli and Hezbollah fighters.
The Israeli military said it struck several Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, following a barrage of “50 launches” into the Golan Heights by Hezbollah early on Tuesday. However, it refrained from commenting specifically on Tuesday’s strike.
According to an AFP assessment, over eight months of cross-border warfare have claimed the lives of at least 467 individuals in Lebanon, including over 90 civilians and at least 304 Hezbollah fighters.
According to Israeli officials, the combat has claimed the lives of at least 15 Israeli soldiers and 11 civilians.
There have been tens of thousands of displaced persons.
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel was “prepared for a very intense operation” along the border with Lebanon and that “one way or another, we will restore security to the north”.
