Israel says it killed Hezbollah commander in south Lebanon strike

Israel's military said it killed a Hezbollah commander on Saturday in south Lebanon, where authorities reported one dead in the fourth Israeli strike within days despite a November ceasefire.

Lebanon's health ministry said earlier that one person was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle near the town of Zrarieh in south Lebanon's Tyre district.

The Israeli military said in a statement that its forces "struck and eliminated... a commander" involved in "the re-establishment of Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure" in south Lebanon.

The strike was among several carried out by Israeli forces in the south of the country on Saturday.

Drones struck targets in the towns of Aita al-Shaab, Yarin, and Zahira close to the Israel-Lebanon border, according to the National News Agency.

No casualties have been reported.

Israel has continued to launch frequent airstrikes in Lebanon since Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire to end the 14-month war in November.

It carried out more than 50 strikes in different areas of the country in April alone, claiming that Hezbollah was "violating" the ceasefire.

On Wednesday, the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) said it had been fired on by Israeli forces.

The Lebanese government says it has recorded thousands of violations of the ceasefire by Israel. At least 199 have been killed and 491 others injured in Israeli strikes during the six months that the truce has been in effect.

A low-level conflict began in Lebanon erupted on 8 October 2023 when Hezbollah began launching rockets, drones and missiles across the border after the surprise Hamas attack on Israel which took place one day before

The violence sharply escalated in September 2024 when Israel launched a heavy bombing campaign against Lebanon's Shia-majority areas, assassinating many of Hezbollah's most senior leaders and invading the south of the country.

More than four thousand Lebanese were killed and around 17,000 others injured in Israeli attacks.

More than 1 million civilians were displaced by the violence.

Since the ceasefire came into effect, the Lebanese army has gradually moved its forces south of the Litani river and taken control of most Hezbollah infrastructure.

Israel has withdrawn most of its troops from the country but is continuing to occupy several strategic locations close to the border.

(AFP and TNA staff)