Israel Conducts Airstrikes on Hezbollah Targets in Southern Lebanon Following Drone Attack

Lebanese media reported overnight Israeli airstrikes in the Ali Taher mountain range and near Kfar Rouman in southern Lebanon. The strikes targeted Hezbollah positions after the group launched an explosive drone attack the previous day, seriously injuring three Israeli soldiers. Earlier, residents of the Upper Galilee were warned by local authorities to expect explosions due to Israeli military operations in Lebanon overnight.

Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Katz responded to the attacks, stating, "No account in any arena will remain open. We will strongly defend our soldiers and civilians." During the weekend, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also targeted a central Hezbollah command post in the Ansar area of southern Lebanon. This strike was a direct response to Hezbollah's hostile action against Israeli forces operating within the security zone under the ceasefire agreement.

The targeted command post was used by Hezbollah to coordinate activities in the area. The IDF confirmed the killing of Ali Samir Al-Hajj Hassan, a commander of Hezbollah's Radwan Force battalion, along with several other militants involved in planning attacks against Israeli troops. The IDF stated that Hassan was hiding with his family inside the military post, who were unintentionally harmed during the strike but were not the target. The operation was conducted in accordance with international law, focusing specifically on Hassan.

Additional Israeli strikes hit Hezbollah infrastructure in the Nabatiyeh and Ansar regions. These military actions followed Hezbollah's attack on Israeli forces in the Ali Taher ridge area within the security zone.

In a related development, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Vietor told Al Jazeera that Hezbollah remains the main obstacle to Lebanon's economic recovery. He emphasized that the pilot zones are the only path to peace and expressed Washington's expectation that the Lebanese army will complete its efforts to remove Hezbollah from these areas.