IDF slays Hezbollah ‘journalist,’ seizes hundreds of weapons in Lebanese school

In Southern Lebanon on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces targeted and killed Ali Hassan Shaib, a Hezbollah Radwan Force terrorist who operated for years under the guise of a journalist for the terrorist organization’s Al-Manar television network, the military said in a statement.

In his journalist role, Shaib “consistently worked to expose the locations of IDF troops operating in Southern Lebanon and along the border, and maintained continuous contact with other operatives in [Hezbollah’s elite] Radwan Force in particular and within the organization in general,” the IDF said.

In addition, he engaged in incitement against IDF troops and civilians of the State of Israel, serving as Hezbollah’s mouthpiece for distributing propaganda materials, including during the ongoing “Operation Roaring Lion,” the army continued.

“The IDF will continue to act forcefully against the terrorist organization Hezbollah, which chose to join the fighting and operate under the auspices of the Iranian terrorist regime, and will not allow harm to the civilians of the State of Israel,” the military stressed.

According to the Al-Manar website in English, Fatima Ftouni, a correspondent of the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen channel, was also killed in the strike.

Ftouni’s brother, a videographer, and Shaib’s relative were also killed, Lebanese media reported.

The group was struck by a drone while driving on the main road in Jezzine, located some 14 miles east to the coastal city of Sidon, reports added.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strike, calling it “⁠a brazen crime that violates all treaties and norms through which journalists enjoy international protection in war,” Reuters reported.

Shayetet 13 raid in Al-Khiam

Meanwhile, IDF troops continued to press forward in Southern Lebanon over the weekend, clearing the area of terrorist elements responsible for attacks on Israelis.

As part of this effort, the Israeli Navy’s Shayetet 13 (“Flotilla 13") commando unit carried out a targeted raid on Friday following intelligence of the presence of weapons in a school in the village of Al-Khiam in the Nabatieh Governorate, northeast of the Israeli town of Metula, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said on Saturday.

Hundreds of weapons were found inside the school, including anti-tank rockets, mortar shells, grenades, launchers, small arms, mines, explosive charges and detonation mechanisms.

These were uncovered alongside markings of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), according to the army.

“The presence of weapons in the school in Al-Khiam is another example of the deliberate exploitation of the civilian population to advance Hezbollah’s terrorist objectives,” the IDF said.

According to Shayetet 13 commandos cited in the statement, they also found a dismantled and broken UAV.

Describing their findings, they said: “Here you can also see 28 mines, many weapons; you can see two 107mm rockets, quantities of detonation cord, explosive charges and mine mechanisms. We will continue to operate, eliminate the enemy, and defend the residents of the north.”

IDF chief: ‘We are at a historic crossroads’

A total of three IDF officers and six enlisted men were injured by an anti-tank missile and a rocket in Southern Lebanon in separate incidents on Friday, the Israeli military said on Saturday.

Two officers sustained serious and moderate wounds from the anti-tank missile. Another officer was critically injured and six soldiers were moderately injured in the second incident.

They were all admitted to the hospital and their families were informed of their condition.

The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes in Beirut on Friday, targeting terrorist infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah, the military said.

Visiting troops in Southern Lebanon, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told them, “We are at a historic crossroads. We are operating according to a plan, in an offensive manner, to fundamentally change the security reality—from Tehran to Beirut.

“We have further significant plans for the continuation of the campaign. The northern communities rely on you: Continue to act offensively and professionally and remove the threats from the communities. I trust you,” Zamir said.

“Thanks to you, [Hezbollah] continues to be hit and weakened. We are dismantling and will continue to strike our enemies on every front where required. We will continue to operate and remain here as long as necessary to inflict significant damage and remove the threat in the north,” the general said.