The Israeli military has confirmed that a senior Hezbollah commander, Abdul Harb, was killed during an air strike in southern Lebanon last week. The announcement was made in a statement posted on X, where the Israeli army alleged that Harb served in Hezbollah's engineering unit and was involved in assembling and deploying explosives against Israeli forces operating near the border.
Details of the Operation
The military described Harb as a senior commander who had participated in operations against Israel since the 2006 Lebanon conflict. “We eliminated Abdul Harb, a commander in Hezbollah’s engineering unit,” the Israeli army said, adding that he had been involved in activities targeting Israeli troops.
Additional Israeli Strikes
Israeli forces also reported that their air force carried out overnight operations against what they described as a Hezbollah rocket-launching site in southern Lebanon. According to the army, the launcher had previously been used to fire rockets towards Israeli positions, prompting the latest strike. However, Hezbollah has not publicly confirmed Harb's reported death or responded to the Israeli claims.
Ceasefire Prospects Remain Uncertain
The latest developments come despite a recently announced US-mediated ceasefire arrangement between Lebanese and Israeli officials. Fighting has nevertheless continued across parts of Lebanon, raising concerns about the durability of the truce. Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem criticized the ceasefire efforts, describing the agreement as a “farce” and insisting that attacks would continue as long as Israeli military operations persist in Lebanon.
The renewed exchanges underscore the fragile security situation along the Israel-Lebanon border, where tensions remain high despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to restore calm.
