Hezbollah carried out a drone attack on an Israeli army base from Lebanon on Tuesday, marking the first time they targeted that position. The Iran-backed group claimed this action as part of their response to recent Israeli assassinations in Lebanon. Simultaneously, sources familiar with Hezbollah’s operations reported that an Israeli attack killed three of their fighters in south Lebanon on the same day. These events contribute to the escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, their deadliest confrontation in 17 years since the Hamas attack on Israel from Gaza on October 7.
The ongoing violence has forced tens of thousands to flee both sides of the Lebanon-Israel border, raising concerns about the conflict’s potential to spiral further out of control. In a televised speech, Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, emphasized that while his group doesn’t desire to expand the war beyond Lebanon, an inevitable and maximum response will occur if Israel extends its actions.
Israel killed senior commander
On Monday, Israel conducted a strike in south Lebanon that resulted in the death of a high-ranking Hezbollah commander, Wissam Tawil. This strike dealt a significant blow after three months of tensions at the Lebanese-Israeli border. Tawil, a commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces, played a crucial role in directing the group’s operations in the south. The conflict, ignited by Hamas attacking Israel from Gaza on October 7, has become the deadliest confrontation between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah since their 2006 war.
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Tawil and another Hezbollah fighter were killed when their car was struck in the village of Majdal Selm, approximately 6 km from the border. Hezbollah circulated photos of Tawil with leaders of the group, including Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the late military commander Imad Mughniyeh. Thousands of mourners attended his funeral in south Lebanon, his coffin draped in Hezbollah’s yellow flag as it was carried through the streets of his village. An officer in the group’s elite Radwan force, Tawil had played a leading role in directing Hezbollah operations in south Lebanon and had been previously deployed to Syria, where the group has supported Damascus in the civil war.