Israeli Tyre strike kills Hezbollah commander and one other

Lebanese state media reported that an Israeli strike on a car in southern Lebanon on Tuesday resulted in the deaths of two individuals, including a Hezbollah field commander, according to a source close to the Iran-backed group.

Following Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, which ignited the Gaza conflict, Israel and Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, have been exchanging almost daily fire.

The official National News Agency stated, “The enemy drone strike on the Tyre-Al-Hosh main road martyred two people,” also noting that ambulances were dispatched to the scene.

A source close to Hezbollah confirmed to AFP that a field commander was among the deceased but did not provide a name. Early Wednesday, Hezbollah announced in a statement that one of its fighters, Hussein Makki, had been “martyred on the road to Jerusalem,” a phrase the group uses for members killed by Israeli forces.

Several Lebanese news outlets identified Makki as a Hezbollah field commander killed in the Israeli strike on the car in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army later acknowledged carrying out the strike that killed Makki, describing him as “a senior field commander” in Hezbollah involved in planning and conducting “numerous terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and territory.” The army also noted that he previously led Hezbollah forces in the coastal region.

In seven months of cross-border violence, at least 413 people have died in Lebanon, mostly militants but also 79 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, 14 soldiers and 10 civilians have been killed. The ongoing conflict has displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.