Israeli attack kills senior Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon

An Israeli attack killed one of Hezbollah’s most senior commanders in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, prompting the Iran-backed group to respond by firing rockets at Israel as the dangerous conflict continued.

The Israeli military said it had targeted and eliminated Mohammed Nasser of Hezbollah, calling him the commander of a unit responsible for shelling Israel from southwest Lebanon.

Nasser, who was killed in an airstrike near the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon, was one of the highest-ranking Hezbollah commanders to have lost his life so far in the conflict, two security sources in Lebanon said.

The hostilities sparked by the Gaza war have raised fears of a larger and more devastating conflict between heavily armed opponents and prompted the United States to launch diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israeli forces were attacking Hezbollah “very hard every day” and were ready to take all necessary measures against the group, but said a negotiated solution was preferable.

Hezbollah began shelling Israeli targets along the border after its Palestinian ally Hamas launched the attack on Israel on October 7, declaring its support for the Palestinians and announcing a ceasefire once Israel ends its Gaza offensive.

In response to what it called the “assassination attempt,” Hezbollah announced at least two attacks, firing 100 Katyusha rockets at an Israeli military base and its Iranian-made Falaq rockets at another base in the town of Kiryat Shmona, near the Israeli-Lebanese border.

Israeli television station Channel 12 reported that dozens of rockets had been fired from Lebanon into northern Israel. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli Defense Ministry said that air strike sirens were sounding in several parts of northern Israel.

While the Israeli military did not provide information on the number of rockets fired, it said most hit open areas, some were intercepted, and several rockets landed in the Kiryat Shmona area.

It further noted that no injuries were reported, but firefighters were working to extinguish several fires sparked by the rocket attack.

Following the rocket salvos, Israeli fighter jets hit a Hezbollah rocket launch pad and two other rocket launch pads, it said.

Sources in Lebanon said Nasser was responsible for some of Hezbollah’s operations along the border. One of the sources also said a second Hezbollah fighter and a civilian were killed.

Nasser was of the same rank and importance as Taleb Abdallah, a senior commander who was killed in an Israeli strike in June, after which Hezbollah launched its largest drone and missile attack to date in retaliation, the same sources said.

The Israeli military statement said Nasser and Abdallah were “two of Hezbollah’s most prominent terrorists in southern Lebanon.”

Senior Hezbollah politician Hassan Fadlallah said Nasser knew he was a target but had not left the battlefield for nine months. Hezbollah will impose punishment on Israel for “its crime so that this enemy understands that the arm of resistance is long,” he said.

The hostilities took a heavy toll on both sides of the border and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.

According to Reuters, more than 300 Hezbollah fighters and 87 civilians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Israel says 18 soldiers and 10 civilians were killed by shelling from Lebanon.