According to information from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the deputy commander of Hezbollah's rocket unit named Ali Naim was killed in an airstrike in southern Lebanon.
"The IDF today launched an airstrike in Lebanon's al-Bazooriya region and killed Ali Abd al-Hasan Naim, deputy commander of Hezbollah's rocket and missile unit," the Israeli Defense Ministry announced.
In the image released by the IDF, a car was hit by a missile while moving and exploded, burning fiercely. The Israeli military added that Ali Naim was responsible for planning and executing remote raids on its territory.
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| The war in the Gaza Strip is threatening to spread across the region. Photo: getty |
Hezbollah announced that seven of its members, including a man named Naim, were killed by Israeli military fire, but did not mention where or when the incident occurred.
The Lebanese state news agency NNA reported that the enemy carried out a drone attack on a car in the south of the country, killing at least one person. An unnamed source from the Lebanese army confirmed that the victim was a senior Hezbollah leader.
Cross-border fighting between Hezbollah and Israel has been ongoing almost daily since Hamas launched a series of attacks in early October 2023. Hezbollah has said it will only stop its attacks on Israel if there is a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The recent increase in fighting has prompted the US to call on Israel and Hezbollah to find a way to de-escalate tensions on March 28. During a visit to the IDF’s northern command on March 29, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Tel Aviv would continue to carry out raids against Hezbollah.
He also claimed that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was causing the movement to suffer many casualties: "More than 320 of the group's fighters have been killed. We will make them pay for every attack from Lebanon."
Fighting on the Israel-Leabnon border has killed at least 347 people in Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah members. According to Israeli officials, at least 10 soldiers and 7 civilians were killed. The fighting has forced thousands of people in southern Lebanon and northern Israel to flee their homes.
Meanwhile, despite statements demanding that Israel de-escalate tensions in the Gaza Strip, Washington has secretly approved the supply of more than 2,300 bombs and 25 F-35 stealth aircraft to Tel Aviv.
The Washington Post on March 29 quoted sources from the US Department of Defense and the US Department of State as saying that the US government had secretly approved a plan in recent days to transfer a batch of weapons worth billions of dollars to Israel, including more than 1,800 Mk. 84 bombs weighing 900 kg and 500 Mk. 82 bombs weighing 200 kg.
The arms package also includes 25 F-35 stealth aircraft and components worth a total of $2.5 billion. The transfer of the fighter jets was approved by the US Congress in 2008, so the Biden administration does not need to notify them again.
The United States is a close ally of Israel, providing about $3.8 billion in military aid to the country each year. Washington also strongly supported Tel Aviv after the conflict in the Gaza Strip broke out in late October 2023, transferring to its ally a large amount of ammunition and air defense systems to deal with Hamas forces.
However, relations between the two countries have recently been strained as Washington has repeatedly criticized Tel Aviv for causing large civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip. The US also opposes Israel's plan to launch a ground operation in Rafah due to concerns about the risk of a humanitarian disaster.
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| Relief supplies are not enough for the millions of Palestinians trapped in the conflict zone. Photo: AP |
Some Democrats have called on the Biden administration to stop supplying weapons to Israel to pressure it to commit to limiting civilian casualties and agree to unblock humanitarian aid.
However, Washington is continuing to transfer weapons to Tel Aviv. "We will continue to support Israel's right to defend itself. It is not US policy to condition aid," said an unnamed White House official.
According to Hamas' health agency, the conflict in Gaza has left 32,623 people dead and 75,092 injured as of March 29. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on March 28 ordered Israel to "immediately ensure urgent humanitarian assistance" in the Gaza Strip, citing a famine in the strip.
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