Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli airstrike

Xinhua :

A Hezbollah commander was killed Monday in an Israeli airstrike on the Sarafand-Baysarieh highway in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese security and official sources.

A Lebanese army intelligence source told Xinhua that the victim was identified as Samir Ali Faqih, a Hezbollah commander. The source did not provide further details.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that Faqih was killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting his car.

According to the Lebanese source, Israeli warplanes on Monday carried out around 20 air raids on Hezbollah positions in eastern and southern Lebanon, launching about 40 air-to-ground missiles.

These intense Israeli attacks came amid escalating Israeli threats and calls for Hezbollah to disarm — demands the group has firmly rejected.

On Monday, Mahmoud Qomati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s Political Council, reiterated the group’s refusal to disarm, saying its weapons remain “a guarantee of Lebanon’s existence and strength” and serve to deter “Israeli aggression.”

A U.S.- and French-brokered ceasefire has been in effect between Hezbollah and Israel since Nov. 27, 2024, largely halting the cross-border clashes that erupted following the Gaza war.

Despite the truce, the Israeli army continues to launch occasional strikes inside Lebanon, saying they target “threats” posed by Hezbollah, while maintaining its forces in five main positions along the Lebanese border.