Jerusalem: An Israeli airstrike has killed senior Hezbollah commander Abu Ali Rida in Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Monday.
Rida, targetted near Baraachit, was described by the IDF as a key operative coordinating rocket and anti-tank missile attacks on Israeli forces and overseeing Hezbollah’s activities in the region.
The IDF did not specify when the strike took place. However, Lebanese military sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, reported that 13 people, including Rida, were killed on Monday in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon.
According to the sources, Israeli forces conducted 13 airstrikes and artillery shelling, launching approximately 45 shells across 12 towns and villages near the border, resulting in casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, Xinhua news agency reported.
Hours after announcing Rida’s death, the IDF reported Hezbollah retaliated by firing around 60 projectiles into northern Israel. The military said its defence systems intercepted several rockets, while others landed in open areas without causing injuries.
In a separate incident, the IDF reported that two explosive drones — one from the east and another from Lebanon — aimed to strike Israeli targets early Monday morning. Both were intercepted, with one shot down over the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and the other near Upper Galilee, northern Israel.
Hezbollah also announced on Monday that its forces had launched surface-to-surface missiles targeting several locations in northern Israel, including the city of Krayot near Haifa, the Meron air surveillance base, and communities such as Sha’al, Hatzor, Dalton, and Ayelet HaShahar.
The ongoing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah began on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in support of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, prompting retaliatory fire and airstrikes by Israel in southeastern Lebanon.
Since September 23, the Israeli army has intensified its airstrikes against Hezbollah across Lebanon, resulting in significant civilian casualties and displacing residents from many areas.
(IANS)
