The Israel Defense Forces said on Friday it carried out an airstrike in Southern Lebanon that killed Ammar Hayel Qutaybani, the commander of Hezbollah’s “Sinai Outpost.”
The military added that a separate strike in the Tebnine area of Southern Lebanon targeted and killed a terrorist in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.
According to the IDF, both terrorists were involved in efforts to rebuild the Iranian-backed proxy’s terror infrastructure.
Overnight Thursday, the IDF also struck a vessel used by Hezbollah to gather intelligence on Israeli forces off the coast of Naqoura in Southern Lebanon.
“These activities constitute violations of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the military said, referencing the Nov. 27, 2024, ceasefire agreement that ended more than a year of war between the IDF and Hezbollah.
“The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel,” added the statement.
Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli military launched a series of strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, after warning residents of buildings in Mays al-Jabal, Kfar Tebnit and Dibbin to evacuate for their safety.
The attacks targeted arms storage facilities used by the Radwan Force, which for years trained to seize Israeli communities under a plan known as the “Galilee Invasion.”
Also on Thursday, the IDF announced the elimination of a senior Hezbollah weapons dealer in Baalbek, northeast of Beirut, in Lebanon. Hussein Saifo Sharif directed terrorists in Syrian territory to plan attacks against Israel.
The situation in Lebanon remains volatile following the end of the truce with Beirut on Feb. 18. Hezbollah began launching missiles and drones at the Jewish state a day after the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.
Although Jerusalem has withdrawn most of its ground forces since the war ended, it still controls five strategic positions in Southern Lebanon. Israeli officials have stated that the IDF will retain control of these areas until the Lebanese army demonstrates it can maintain security there.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said last week that the country’s armed forces will have fully disarmed Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon within three months.
