Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

IDF: Over 1,800 Hezbollah terrorists slain during ‘Roaring Lion’

The Israeli army killed Hezbollah’s Bint Jbeil sector commander, Ali Rida Abbas.

F-35 Jet
Israeli F-35 “Adir” fighter jets en route to strike targets in Iran, March 2026. Credit: IDF.

More than 1,800 Hezbollah terrorists were eliminated during “Operation Roaring Lion,” which began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 and was halted by a 14-day ceasefire between Washington and Tehran on April 7, the Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday.

Lebanon-based Hezbollah joined the war in support of the Islamic Republic on March 2, violating a November 2024 U.S.-mediated ceasefire that ended more than a year of fighting after the Iranian proxy began attacking the Jewish state a day after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 10-day truce between Jerusalem and Beirut on Thursday, separate from the deal with Iran.

Israel Defense Forces soldiers operate in Southern Lebanon's Bint Jbeil area, April 2026. Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit.
Israel Defense Forces soldiers operate in Southern Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil area, April 2026. Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

The IDF said on Sunday that in the 24 hours before the ceasefire took effect, the military struck more than 150 Hezbollah operatives, along with approximately 300 terror infrastructure sites, including launchers, command centers and weapons storage facilities across several areas in Lebanon.

Among those killed was Hezbollah’s Bint Jbeil sector commander, Ali Rida Abbas.

Abbas advanced numerous attacks against IDF soldiers and the Israeli home front over the years, particularly during “Operation Roaring Lion,” according to the IDF.

He is the fourth Hezbollah Bint Jbeil sector commander to be killed by the Israeli army since the start of “Operation Northern Arrows” in September 2024.

“The IDF will continue to act to remove any threat to Israeli civilians and its soldiers,” the military said.

Mika Hackner of the North American Values Institute told JNS that “particular attention should be paid to the ‘local institutions’ tasked with carrying on” the foundation’s programs.
The House Armed Services Committee rejected Rep. Ro Khanna’s amendment to delete section 224 from the annual defense bill, which calls for increased cooperation between the U.S. and Israel.
Yehuda Kaploun, special envoy at the department, declined to comment on the news and said broadly that governments must protect their Jews.
“We must face the reality of bad actors living within our borders, clandestinely conspiring on ways to create fear and havoc,” Kansas District Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser said.
The rapidly-expanding media organization has won 65 Rockowers since 2019.
“We call on the international community to join us in enforcing these measures and preventing Iran from accessing resources that fuel terrorism, weapons proliferation and instability across the region,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.