The IDF said Saturday that the family of a commander in Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force was harmed in a strike in Lebanon, and that they were not the intended target, according to ynet.
The IDF confirmed tonight that a strike in Lebanon unintentionally killed the family of a Radwan Force battalion commander, stating that they were not the intended target. The military said the commander was using his family as human shields. The acknowledgment follows the night's initial reports and provides further detail on the incident.
The story began unfolding at 17:58 Jerusalem when the IDF announced it had struck a Radwan command post in the Ansar area of southern Lebanon, killing battalion commander Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan and several operatives. The initial statement noted that the commander's family was harmed. In subsequent updates, the IDF clarified that the commander was using them as human shields and that the strike was a direct response to a Hezbollah ceasefire violation earlier Saturday that left three IDF soldiers seriously wounded, as reported by N12. Lebanese media reported that seven people were killed, including women and children.
The strike is part of ongoing Israeli operations in southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. As The Zioneer reported, the IDF has been conducting strikes against Hezbollah positions in recent months, including a drone strike near Nabatieh on June 13 that wounded a Lebanese soldier.
The exact number and condition of the family members have not been independently verified. The IDF has not commented on the Lebanese media's claim of seven civilian casualties, but maintains that the commander was the intended target and that his family's presence was used as a shield.
6 developments
- StrongIsrael's Foreign Ministry lashed out at Hezbollah over commander's use of family as human shields
- DevelopingIDF confirms targeted strike on Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon
- DevelopingIDF strikes 150 Hezbollah targets; officers wounded in ground encounters, drone incidents
- StrongIDF says captured Radwan operative was part of cell that wounded soldier
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