Hamas’ armed wing confirms the death of a commander in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon

Israel confirms 1,600 attacks and assures that it will “do whatever is necessary” to allow the return of its citizens to the north of the country

September 24 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Ezzeldin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), confirmed on Monday night the death of one of its commanders during the intense bombing campaign by the Israeli Army against Lebanon, in which almost 500 people have died in a single day.

The commander has been identified as Hussein Mahmoud al-Nader ‘Abu Saleh’, who was in the southern Lebanese town of Marjayoun at the time of one of the bombings, according to the Palestinian daily ‘Filastín’, which is affiliated with Hamas.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have counted some 1,600 attacks throughout the day against alleged positions of the Lebanese Shiite militia party Hezbollah, a group they have accused of hiding weapons in homes and civilian infrastructure, especially in the south and in the Bekaa Valley in the east, although they have also bombed Beirut, the country’s capital, they have reported on their account on the social network X.

This operation, part of the new phase of the conflict in the Middle East, has been dubbed “Northern Arrows” and aims to destroy the “strategic weapons capabilities of the terrorist organization Hezbollah that they have placed in the heart of villages and in civilian homes,” from where “they intended to launch them and harm the citizens of the State of Israel while endangering the residents of Lebanon.”

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said during a press conference that “we will do everything necessary to allow the citizens of the north to return to their homes,” referring to the possibility of a ground operation against Lebanese territory. It should be noted that the Lebanese authorities are already talking about “tens of thousands” of displaced people, while the country’s media reports of a “mass exodus” to the north.

In response to the Israeli attacks, Hezbollah has launched at least 156 rockets into Israeli territory. Most of these rockets have been launched against areas inside Israel, far from the border, such as the Haifa region, and even some Israeli settlements in the West Bank or in the Golan Heights, the part of Syria militarily occupied by Israel. In most cases, the projectiles have been intercepted by Israeli anti-aircraft defenses, which have mobilized their fighter planes for this mission.

Tensions have been rising in recent days, especially after a wave of coordinated explosions on Hezbollah communications equipment, which killed around 40 people and injured 3,000. More than 50 people were killed on Friday in Israel’s airstrike south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, including Ibrahim Akil, a senior Hezbollah official.

The escalation of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, a group supported by Iran that has significant military and political clout in Lebanon, has raised fears of the possibility of an expansion of the conflict in the Middle East. In this context, the Israeli army recently presented its “operational plans” regarding Lebanon to the United States.