The IDF announced it struck a Hezbollah Radwan Force command post in the Ansar area of southern Lebanon overnight Saturday, killing the unit's battalion commander Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan and several other operatives. The military stated that Hassan's family was at the headquarters and was harmed, but they were not the intended target—Hassan used them as human shields. The strike was a response to Hezbollah ceasefire violations and activity against Israeli forces in the security zone.
The IDF confirmed Saturday evening that an overnight airstrike in the Ansar area of southern Lebanon killed Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, a battalion commander in Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force. The military stated that members of Hassan's family were present at the headquarters and were harmed in the strike, but emphasized they were not the intended target and that Hassan used them as human shields.
The strike followed a series of Hezbollah ceasefire violations earlier Saturday, including an attack that left three IDF soldiers seriously wounded, according to the Prime Minister's Office. In subsequent statements, the IDF clarified that the operation was a direct response to those violations and framed the incident as a Hezbollah operation against Israeli forces in the security zone. The Ansar area has served as a key command hub for the Radwan Force, as The Zioneer reported.
This operation is part of the IDF's broader campaign to degrade Hezbollah's offensive capabilities in southern Lebanon. Background coverage by The Zioneer noted that the IDF has struck over 150 Hezbollah targets in recent days following repeated ceasefire breaches, including a tank ambush that killed four soldiers last Friday. Defense Minister Israel Katz has affirmed the IDF's full freedom of action in the security zone.
No official response from Hezbollah has been reported at this time.
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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