Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon

NN ONLINE:

An Israeli airstrike on Monday killed a Hezbollah commander on the Sarafand–Baysarieh highway in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese security and official sources.

A Lebanese army intelligence official identified the victim as Samir Ali Faqih, a Hezbollah commander, without providing further details. Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that Faqih was killed when an Israeli drone targeted his car. According to security sources, Israeli warplanes conducted around 20 air raids on Hezbollah positions in eastern and southern Lebanon on Monday, firing about 40 air-to-ground missiles.

The wave of strikes came amid mounting Israeli threats and renewed demands for Hezbollah to disarm — a call the group has repeatedly rejected. Mahmoud Qomati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s Political Council, reaffirmed on Monday that the group would not lay down its arms, describing its weapons as “a guarantee of Lebanon’s existence and strength” and a deterrent against “Israeli aggression.” A U.S.- and French-mediated ceasefire has been in place between Hezbollah and Israel since November 27, 2024, bringing an end to most cross-border hostilities that flared after the Gaza war.

Despite the truce, Israeli forces have continued to launch intermittent strikes inside Lebanon, claiming they are aimed at neutralizing threats from Hezbollah while maintaining troops across five key border positions.