An Israeli soldier was killed after Hezbollah launched rockets and a swarm of drones across the Lebanon-Israel border in retaliation for the targeted assassination of one of its senior commanders in southern Lebanon.
Major Itay Galea, 38, a reservist from Ramat Gan who was deputy commander of a unit in northern Israel, was killed in the attack, which followed at least two strikes on Wednesday in response to what Hezbollah called “the assassination” of Muhammad Neamah Naser, a senior commander, in an Israeli drone strike on the city of Tyre.
Israel claimed he was one of the highest-ranked Hezbollah personnel killed since the outbreak of war last October.
Hezbollah says it has launched more than 200 rockets and a swarm of drones into Israel after the targeted assassination of one of its senior commanders in southern Lebanon.
No injuries or damage have yet been reported, although some land has been set ablaze by the rockets. Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli military sites. The Israeli military said Hezbollah’s claims were “under review”.
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The barrage on Thursday followed at least two attacks on Wednesday in response to what Hezbollah called “the assassination” of a senior commander, Muhammad Neamah Naser, in an Israeli drone strike on the city of Tyre. Israel claimed he was one of the highest-ranked Hezbollah personnel killed since the outbreak of war last October.
It marked the latest in a string of targeted killings of Hezbollah militia, including that of Taleb Abdullah, a top commander of the same rank as Naser, who was assassinated last month.
In a statement, the Israeli military said that Naser was in charge of “firing rockets and anti-tank missiles” towards civilians, communities and security forces and had been active in Hezbollah since 2016, when he became head of the Aziz unit, one of the main fighting forces along the border.
Hezbollah said Naser took part in the 2006 Lebanon War, the militia’s last major confrontation with Israel. The group claimed to have fired rockets and Iranian-made Falaq missiles at Israeli army bases near the border in retaliation for the killing. Naser’s funeral will be held on Thursday.
The latest flare-up comes amid signs of progress in a ceasefire deal with Hamas, over their war with Israel in Gaza, while western diplomats engage in talks to prevent the outbreak of all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel.
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Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to US president Joe Biden, met French officials on Wednesday in Paris and discussed efforts to restore regional calm.
“France and the United States share the goal of resolving the current conflict across the Blue Line [the heavily militarised demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon] by diplomatic means, allowing Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return home with long-term assurances of safety and security,” Hochstein said. About 150,000 people have fled their homes on both sides of the border.
On Monday Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said that Israel “has effectively lost sovereignty” near the border with Lebanon because much of Israel’s northern border population have been driven from their homes.
Hezbollah joined the Israel-Hamas war in solidarity with Hamas the day after the October 7 attacks. Both groups are allied with Iran.
Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said that Israeli forces were hitting Hezbollah “very hard every day” and will be ready to take any action necessary, adding that the preference would be to reach a negotiated arrangement.
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Earlier this week Hezbollah said that if a ceasefire were reached in Gaza it would stop firing into Israel.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Biden in a phone call on Thursday that he had sent a delegation to finalise a ceasefire deal, according to a White House readout. On the call, Netanyahu insisted the war in Gaza would only end after Israel had achieved “all its objectives”
In a sign of significant progress, the team negotiating for the Israelis includes David Barnea, the director of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad. Gallant said: “We are closer to a deal than we ever have been,” local media has reported.
The developments follow weeks of apparent deadlock over a US-backed proposal for a three-stage truce in Gaza and the release of the 120 living and dead hostages still held by Hamas.
A statement from Mossad distributed by the prime minister’s office said: “The hostage deal mediators have conveyed to the negotiating team Hamas’s remarks on the outline of the hostages deal. Israel is evaluating the remarks and will convey its reply to the mediators.”
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Hamas confirmed that it had issued its latest amendments to a proposal put forward by Israel in late May –— changes that a US official was reported to have described as “a significant breakthrough”.
