The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday eliminated two senior Hezbollah terrorist operatives in separate targeted airstrikes in Southern Lebanon.
One of those killed was Hussein Ali Nasr, the deputy head of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, which is responsible for smuggling weapons and funds into Lebanon.
Nasr played a key role in Hezbollah’s terror army by coordinating with Iranian operatives and overseeing weapons transfers through strategic routes, including Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, the IDF said.
The strike on Nasr was “part of ongoing operations to eliminate threats to Israeli civilians on all fronts,” according to the IDF.
The second target was the head of Hezbollah’s engineering operations in the Al-Aadaissah sector, according to a statement.
Additionally, strikes were carried out near Nabatieh, targeting multiple rocket launchers and other infrastructure used by Hezbollah terrorists.
“These actions by the Hezbollah terror organization constitute a blatant violation of the [ceasefire] understandings between Israel and Lebanon and a threat to the State of Israel and its citizens,” the military added.
The situation in Southern Lebanon remains volatile following the end of the truce with Beirut on Feb. 18. The ceasefire, which took effect on Nov. 27, ended more than a year of war, after Hezbollah began assaults on Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, one day after Hamas’s invasion of Israel’s south.
Although Jerusalem has withdrawn most of its ground forces since the war ended, it still controls five strategic positions in Southern Lebanon.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.
Experts have warned that Hezbollah, instead of disbanding its “military” wing as required by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, will leverage its remaining power to integrate its terrorists into the Lebanese state.
U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus told local media following a three-day visit to Beirut this month that Hezbollah and all Lebanese militias should be disarmed “as soon as possible.
“We know that the sooner that the LAF [Lebanese Armed Forces] is able to meet these goals and disarm all militias in the state, the sooner the Lebanese people can be free,” she told the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI).