Israel said on Sunday it has killed another high-ranking Hezbollah commander as the army continued its attacks on Lebanon amid increased fears that the region is on the brink of all-out war.
The head of Hezbollah’s Preventive Security Unit, Nabil Kaouk, was killed in a “precise” strike by Israeli forces, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a post on X.
Kaouk, a member of the Lebanese militia’s executive council, was close to Hezbollah’s senior commanders and was directly involved in terrorist attacks on Israel since joining Hezbollah in the 1980s, the IDF said.
The IDF said it would continue eliminating Hezbollah commanders. No details were provided about the location of the strike.
The claim comes a day after the Iran-backed militia confirmed that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut on Friday, fueling widespread concerns of a major escalation that could see proxy forces deployed from across the region. further fuels.
Hezbollah is allied with the regime in Tehran, which considers Israel its archenemy. Although the Iranian leadership has strongly condemned Nasrallah’s killing, it has so far not indicated that it might be willing to directly carry out a possible retaliatory response.
The Lebanese militia, which is considered a terrorist organization by the US, European Union and Israel, has been launching attacks on northern Israel in support of Hamas since the start of the Gaza war.
After nearly a year of cross-border skirmishes, Israel launched a massive air campaign on targets across Lebanon earlier this week, aiming to push back Hezbollah forces to allow the return of tens of thousands of residents evacuated from northern Israel during the fighting . .
So far, the bombing has killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of thousands.
Israel now appears to be on the verge of launching a ground invasion of Lebanon, as army chief Herzi Halevi said on Saturday that his forces were prepared for what was to come and that Lebanese residents were told to flee to safety.
The killing of Nasrallah, a cleric who led Hezbollah for more than 30 years and built the Lebanese militant group into a powerful force, is one of the strongest blows Israel has ever dealt to Hezbollah.
The Israeli bombardment continues
Israel’s air force struck “dozens of terrorist targets” in Lebanon overnight, including launch pads targeting Israeli territory, weapons depots and other infrastructure linked to the Shiite militia, the IDF said.
Israeli aircraft also bombarded targets in southern and eastern Lebanon later on Sunday, the NNA news agency and other media reported.
Warehouses, farmland and residential areas were reportedly affected.
At least 17 members of one family have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon, the NNA reported.
Hezbollah-affiliated television station Al-Manar reported 15 deaths, including women and children, in the attack in the north of the Beqaa Valley, a Hezbollah stronghold.
Rescuers have pulled at least six bodies from the rubble in the Beqaa Valley. Local newspaper Annahar reported that nine members of a Syrian family were among the victims.
At least four deaths were reported in the south.
The death toll since the current conflict between Hezbollah and Israel began almost a year ago has risen to more than 1,600, including 100 children, according to official Lebanese figures. Another 8,400 were injured.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health does not distinguish between civilians and Hezbollah members in its figures.
Record number of displaced people
According to Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, up to a million people could ultimately be displaced by the Israeli attacks.
The number of displaced people is already at a record level, he said in Beirut on Sunday.
Mikati said the only option to end the conflict with Lebanon was a diplomatic solution. “There is no choice for us other than diplomacy.”
According to the UN, more than 210,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon since new clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah began, including around 120,000 in the past week alone.
However, the number could be significantly higher, also based on experiences from the last war with Israel in 2006, the UN said.
Many people sleep in parks, on the streets or on the beach for fear of further attacks, especially in the south, east and suburbs of Beirut. About 50,000, including many Syrian refugees, have also fled to neighboring war-torn Syria.
Emergency food distribution launched
The World Food Program (WFP) has launched an emergency food operation for up to 1 million people affected by the conflict in Lebanon, the UN agency said.
The WFP says it is distributing ready-made food rations, bread, hot meals and food parcels to families and has been able to reach more than 66,000 people in shelters across the country.
Kitchens and hot meals have been set up in northern and central Lebanon to prepare light meals.
“Lebanon is at a breaking point and cannot tolerate another war,” WFP regional director Corinne Fleischer said. “The WFP is on the ground, but we urgently need money,” she said.
The WFP says it needs $105 million by the end of the year to continue its efforts in Lebanon.
