Hezbollah said the commander was killed in an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon
Hezbollah said Tuesday that Israeli forces killed one of its commanders in an attack in southern Lebanon, raising fears of an escalation in the conflict on another Israeli front.
Commander Taleb Abdallah, also known as Abu Taleb, was one of the highest-ranking Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, whom Israel has killed since the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel that sparked war in the Gaza Strip and tensions along northern Israel. boundary.
Mr. Abdallah’s role in Hezbollah was not immediately clear. But the group has not called a slain fighter “commander” since January, when Wissam Hassan al-Tawil, a commander in the group’s Radwan unit, was killed in a strike. To make clear Mr. Abdallah’s seniority, Hezbollah on Tuesday released a photo of him with Mr. al-Tawil.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack.
Hezbollah, one Lebanon’s powerful militia and political movement Backed by Iran and Israel, they have been shelling each other across the border for the past eight months, forcing more than 150,000 people on both sides of the border to flee their homes. However, the intensity of the attacks has increased this month amid threats from top Israeli officials to pursue further military action.
Israel has targeted Hezbollah commanders with the aim of pushing the group north of the Litani River in Lebanon, hoping to prevent cross-border attacks and eventually allow Israeli civilians had to evacuate because of the fighting to return to their home. Some experts have expressed skepticism about whether targeted killings can achieve this goal.
Last week, during a visit to northern Israel after a barrage of Hezbollah rockets caused forest fires that broke out for several days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a threat of “very decisive action” to “restore security.” in the north”.
In a sign of the growing conflict, Israel this week struck deeper into northeastern Lebanon than when the war in Gaza began. On Tuesday, the Israeli military said Hezbollah fired about 50 rockets into Israel from southern Lebanon.
In recent weeks, Hezbollah began targeting for the first time Israel’s vaunted Iron Dome missile defense system.
Responding to Hamas’s call to open a second front a day after the deadly attack on Israel, Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel on October 8. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that his group was trying to corner Israeli troops along the border and limit their ability to attack Hamas in Gaza.
Hezbollah says more than 300 fighters were killed in the most recent round of fighting with Israel. The United Nations said about 80 Lebanese civilians were killed. In Israel, authorities said 19 security personnel and at least eight civilians were killed.
euan ward And Matthew Mpoke Bigg Report contributions.
