Senior Hezbollah commander killed in Beirut strike: Israel

 

 

 

 

THE Israeli military said on Tuesday it had killed a senior Hezbollah commander in a strike on Beirut, a day after the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attack was marked by mourning and demonstrations around the globe. The military said the strike killed Suhail Husseini, who it said was responsible for overseeing logistics, budget and management of the militant group. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah. The military said Husseini was involved in the transfer of advanced weapons from Iran and their distribution to different Hezbollah units, and that he was a member of the group’s military council. The Israeli military says it has dismantled militant infrastructure along the border and killed hundreds of Hezbollah fighters. Israeli strikes have killed Hezbollah’s overall leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several of his top commanders in recent weeks.

 

Last week, Israel launched what it says is a limited ground incursion into southern Lebanon. Hezbollah says, it has already replaced its slain commanders. It has vowed to keep firing rockets, missiles and drones into Israel until there is a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, where its ally Hamas has been at war with Israel for a year. Hezbollah’s acting leader said on Tuesday that even more Israelis will be displaced as the militant group extends its rocket fire deeper into Israel, in a defiant televised statement marking the anniversary of fighting that escalated into war last month. Sheikh Naim Kassem, the acting leader of Hezbollah, said its military capabilities are still intact and that it has replaced all of its senior commanders after weeks of heavy Israeli airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon, including targeted strikes that killed much of its top command in a matter of days.

 

He also said Israeli forces have not been able to advance after launching a ground incursion into Lebanon last week. The Israeli military said a fourth division is now taking part in the incursion, which has expanded to the west, but operations still appear to be confined to a narrow strip along the border. Hamas claims killing of Israeli soldiers in Gaza City: THE AL-QASSAM Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced that they had killed and wounded several Israeli soldiers in an attack in Gaza City. Al-Qassam Brigades said their members successfully targeted a group of ten Israeli soldiers with an anti-personnel bomb, resulting in casualties in the area. The statement also noted that the brigades observed a helicopter landing for evacuation but did not provide further details about the incident, Xinhua news agency reported. In a separate announcement, the brigades claimed they had targeted an Israeli armoured personnel carrier with a “Yassin 105” missile in the Tuwam area, north of Gaza City. The Israeli army did not immediately comment on the incidents. However, public Israeli radio reported that military forces in Gaza faced significant security challenges and that helicopters were deployed to evacuate wounded soldiers. The Al-Qassam Brigades also stated they targeted the Sderot area in Israel, along with military gatherings and operational centres east of Rafah city, using several Rajum short-range missiles with a 114-mm calibre. No casualties or damage were reported from these missile launches. 

 

 

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, has declared its readiness for a protracted conflict against Israel in the Gaza Strip. “We choose to continue a long and painful war of attrition against Israel,” Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Ubaida said in a video statement on Monday marking the first anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 assault on Israel. He emphasised that the ongoing battles have demonstrated the effectiveness of this strategy, Xinhua news agency reported. Abu Ubaida claimed that Hamas has inflicted significant damage, saying, “On all fronts of combat and throughout Gaza, we have killed and targeted hundreds of soldiers, destroyed Israeli vehicles, and refined our tactics.” He described the conflict as a fight against a “criminal enemy” in an unequal battle.