Israel claims drone strike killed key Hezbollah operative

An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed a Hezbollah member, as reported by the country’s state-run National News Agency. This incident occurred near the village of Shehabiyeh and the victim was identified as Mohammad Ayoub by Hezbollah.

The strike happened amidst a lull in Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel since Saturday night, coinciding with the start of the Muslim festival Eid al-Adha on Sunday morning. This pause in hostilities also precedes a visit by Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, who is in the region for discussions aimed at easing border tensions. Hochstein arrived in Israel on Monday and was scheduled to meet Lebanese officials in Beirut on Tuesday, marking his latest visit in a series of trips to the area in recent months.

The Israeli military described Ayoub as a significant figure in Hezbollah’s rocket and missile operations within the Nasr Unit, which is active along the border. They stated that Ayoub had been involved in planning and facilitating attacks against Israel from southern Lebanon in recent months. Israel justified the strike as part of its efforts to hinder Hezbollah’s accumulation and deployment of weapons.

Since the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in October, the Lebanese-Israeli border has seen almost daily clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces. Hezbollah has stated it will cease its operations only when Israel ends its offensive in Gaza. Since October 8, the conflict has resulted in over 400 deaths in Lebanon, including a majority of Hezbollah fighters and more than 70 civilians. On the Israeli side, the toll includes at least 15 soldiers and 10 civilians.