Israel Escalates Military Actions in Southern Lebanon Killing Senior Hezbollah Commander and Targeting Launch Sites

Israel has intensified its military actions in southern Lebanon, including a targeted strike that resulted in the death of a senior Hezbollah commander, Mohammed Qassem Al-Shaer. Al-Shaer, who led Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, was reportedly killed in Qaraoun, a village in the Beqaa Valley.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that Al-Shaer had been involved in numerous attacks against Israel and that his removal would weaken Hezbollah’s capability to launch further assaults from southern Lebanon.

In retaliation for Al-Shaer’s death, Hezbollah confirmed it fired a substantial number of Katyusha rockets and drones into northern Israel. The IDF reported that some of these projectiles were intercepted, while others landed in uninhabited areas, resulting in no casualties.

The IDF responded by targeting Hezbollah launch sites in the Mansouri and At Tiri regions, which had been used in these recent attacks. The Israeli military continued its offensive by striking multiple Hezbollah launchers and infrastructure in southern Lebanon overnight.

Lebanese state media reported that these Israeli strikes caused significant damage to property, crops, and buildings, particularly in the town of Al-Qlaileh. Hezbollah announced the death of another fighter but did not specify details about the location or cause.

The escalation follows a previous high-profile Israeli operation that killed Hezbollah’s top military official, Fu’ad Shukr, marking one of the most significant assassinations of a Hezbollah leader since 2016.

Meanwhile, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has been exacerbated by ongoing exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the outbreak of the war with Hamas in Gaza on October 7.

The recent Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon are part of a broader pattern of heightened military activity in the region, which has seen an increase in hostilities and diplomatic efforts to manage tensions.

In addition to the situation in Lebanon, Israeli military operations have also intensified in the West Bank. Recent airstrikes in Tulkarem and Tubas resulted in at least five Palestinian deaths, according to Palestinian sources.

The IDF described these operations as counterterrorism measures targeting armed groups, but local reports indicate that some victims may have been unarmed. The escalation in the West Bank is part of a broader pattern of increased violence and military raids since the conflict with Hamas began.