The Israel Defense Forces overnight Monday killed top Hezbollah terrorist Hassan Kamal Halawi near Nabatieh in Southern Lebanon, the military announced on Tuesday.
Halawi, the commander of Hezbollah’s “southern front” anti-tank unit, was responsible for numerous attacks against Israel, and facilitated the movement of operatives and weapons into Southern Lebanon during the war, according to the IDF.
On Saturday, the Israeli Air Force intercepted three rockets fired from Lebanon at the Galilee town of Metula. Three additional rockets fell short and did not cross into Israeli territory.
The IDF responded with artillery fire toward the site of the launches and later struck dozens of Hezbollah assets in Southern Lebanon. The Iranian-backed proxy issued a statement denying its involvement in the rocket fire.
It was the first such attack from Lebanon since a Nov. 27 ceasefire ended more than a year of war with Hezbollah, which opened a front against Israel in support of Hamas the day after the Palestinian terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office stated on Saturday that the “Government of Lebanon is the party responsible for everything taking place within its territory. Israel will not allow any harm to its citizens and its sovereignty—and will do everything in its power to ensure the safety of the citizens of Israel and the communities of the north.”
On Thursday, the military struck Hezbollah rocket launchers in Southern Lebanon and underground infrastructure belonging to the terror group in the Beqaa Valley.
Earlier this month, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Israeli troops would remain at five strategic outposts in Southern Lebanon “indefinitely.”
On March 11, Israel and Lebanon initiated negotiations toward settling the border disputes between the countries. Representatives of the IDF, the United States, France and Lebanon agreed during a meeting in Naqoura in southwestern Lebanon to establish three joint working groups aimed at stabilizing the region.
The working groups are to focus on three main issues: The five strategic points in Southern Lebanon that remain under Israeli control following the expiration of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire; the U.N.-delineated Blue Line border and the 13 territorial disputes between the two countries; and the status of Lebanese detainees held by Israel.
