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The Israeli military confirmed on Wednesday that it had killed Issa Ahmad Karbala, a platoon commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, in an airstrike in southern Lebanon’s Ain Qana region.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the targeted strike occurred on Wednesday morning in the area situated roughly midway between the Israeli border and the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The military identified Karbala as a key operative responsible for advancing weapons transfers and orchestrating attacks against Israel.
“The terrorist advanced the transfer of weapons in Lebanon and advanced terror attacks against the State of Israel,” the IDF said in a statement. “His activities constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
The Radwan Force, considered Hezbollah’s most elite unit, specializes in special operations and is frequently deployed on the front lines of the group’s confrontations with Israel. The IDF emphasized that operations to eliminate threats along the northern border would continue as necessary.
In a related development, members of Hezbollah were seen attending the funeral of another Radwan Force commander, Wissam Tawil, in January 2024. Tawil’s death earlier this year underscored Israel’s ongoing campaign targeting Hezbollah’s high-ranking operatives.
The Ain Qana strike came shortly after the IDF conducted a separate operation in the nearby area of Nabatieh, approximately ten kilometers south. In that incident, Israeli forces reportedly destroyed multiple Hezbollah structures that the group was attempting to rebuild.
According to Western intelligence officials cited by The Jerusalem Post, Hezbollah has been accelerating its reconstruction efforts in recent weeks following a series of Israeli strikes.
“Hezbollah is rebuilding faster than the Lebanese army is dismantling,” officials told the publication, highlighting the challenge of curbing the group’s influence within Lebanon.
The latest strike marks another escalation in the ongoing shadow conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which has intensified since the start of 2024. Israel has repeatedly warned that it will not tolerate Hezbollah’s attempts to strengthen its foothold near the border or expand its arsenal of advanced weaponry.
Tensions between the two sides remain high, with both militaries maintaining heightened alert along the frontier. Analysts fear that continued exchanges could risk a wider confrontation, especially as Hezbollah seeks to reinforce its military capabilities amid Lebanon’s fragile political and economic situation.
For now, Israel maintains that its actions are defensive, aimed at neutralizing imminent threats posed by Hezbollah operatives like Karbala who, according to the IDF, were directly involved in plotting attacks on Israeli territory.