Ali Muhammad al-Debes. Click to see full-size image.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on February 15 that it killed a senior commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force along with his deputy in a strike on southern Lebanon a day earlier.
Israeli fighter jets struck a building used by Hezbollah in the town of Nabatieh, killing Ali Muhammad al-Debes and his deputy Hassan Ibrahim Issa, the IDF said in a statement.
According to the IDF, al-Debes was one of the masterminds behind the bombing attack at Megiddo Junction in northern Israel in March 2023, and planned and carried out other attacks against Israel, including amid the ongoing war. Previous media reports said that the alleged command was responsible for Palestinian affairs in Hezbollah and was helping set up Iranian air defenses in Syria.
Hezbollah confirmed the death of al-Debes and Issa in separate statements. The group said that two were killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” without confirming that they were commanders or members of the Radwan Force.
Eight civilians, four children, three women and a man, were reportedly killed in the same strike that claimed the lives of al-Debes and Issa. The IDF didn’t mention this in its statement, most likely to evade responsibility.
Hassan Ibrahim Issa. Click to see full-size image.
The IDF intensified strikes on southern Lebanon on February 14 after a rocket attack that targeted the headquarters of its Northern Command in the northern Israeli city of Safad. The attack killed a soldier and wounded eight other people. Hezbollah didn’t claim responsibility, but was blamed for the attack by Israel.
The group has been launching daily attacks against the IDF from southern Lebanon in response to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
Speaking during a war simulation carried out by the so-called emergency preparedness committee on February 15, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that the IDF stepped up its attacks against Hezbollah by one level out of ten, warning that “the Air Force planes flying currently in the skies of Lebanon have heavier bombs for more distant targets.”
The minister said Hezbollah went up half a step by attacking Safad, while Israel went up a full one with its response, “but it’s one step out of ten.”
“We can attack not only at 20 kilometers [from the border], but also at 50 kilometers, and in Beirut and anywhere else,” Gallant said.
“We do not want to reach this situation, we do not want to enter into a war, but rather are interested in reaching an agreement that will allow the safe return of residents of the north to their homes, under an agreement process,” he noted, referring to 80,000 displaced Israelis by Hezbollah’s daily attacks.
“But if there is no choice, we will act to bring [the residents] back and create the appropriate security for them. This should be clear to both our enemies and our friends. And as the State of Israel, the defense establishment, and the IDF have proven in recent months, when we say we mean it,” the minister added.
So far, the clashes on the border have resulted in six civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of at least ten IDF soldiers and reservists. On the Lebanese side, more than 300 people have been killed, including 188 fighters of Hezbollah and at least 40 civilians.
arrogance of the israeli state, starts wars and then expects others to protect them later on when things get too hot for them to handle.
…it’s like in the fairy tale with the dragon, you cut off his head, three grow back!
basically, israel is just creating its problems of the future!
we all still remember the flight of the usa and its henchmen from afghanistan.
remember this, dear israelis…
died suddenly. rest in pieces