Breaking: Israel Claims 3 Top Hezbollah Leaders Killed in Southern Lebanon Strikes

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Sunday, October 27, that three high-ranking Hezbollah commanders were killed in southern Lebanon.

“The Israel Air Force (IAF) neutralized Ahmed Jafar Maatouk, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Bint Jbeil Area,” the IDF said. “The following day, his successor, along with Hezbollah’s head of artillery in Bint Jbeil, were also eliminated.”

According to the IDF, these commanders were responsible for orchestrating numerous attacks from the Bint Jbeil region, using anti-tank missiles against Israeli civilians and IDF forces stationed in southern Lebanon.

In addition to recent airstrikes on Iranian positions, Israel ramped up its strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sunday. The IDF stated it had killed 70 Hezbollah fighters, hit 120 targets in southern Lebanon, and conducted “precision strikes” on weapon manufacturing and storage sites in southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold.

The ongoing conflict since September 23 has reportedly led to at least 1,615 deaths in Lebanon, based on AFP’s count from official sources, though the actual toll may be higher.

In response, Hezbollah confirmed it launched rockets at an Israeli military base in northern Israel on Sunday, following its declaration the day prior that certain areas were now “legitimate targets” due to Israeli military activity. The Iran-backed group claimed to have fired a “large rocket salvo” at a “military industries base” north of Haifa, following an evacuation warning issued on Saturday for a large section of northern Israel.