Israeli forces ‘assassinate’ Hezbollah drone commander in air strike on Lebanon
THE head of Hezbollah’s combat drone operations has been killed by Israeli forces in a second high-profile assassination within 24 hours.
Ali Hussein Barji, who commanded the unit from southern Lebanon, was killed on Tuesday, Hezbollah said.
It came as Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, visited Israel to discuss plans for the future of Gaza once the war ends.
Barji’s car was targeted in an air strike on the town of Khirbet Selm where he arrived for the funeral of Wissam al-tawil, another senior Hezbollah commander, who was killed by a suspected Israeli strike on Monday.
The apparent assassination came hours before Hezbollah drones, believed to be under the command of Barji, hit an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base in Safed, eight miles from the Lebanese border.
Firas Maksad, a senior fellow at the Us-based Middle East Institute, said Barji’s reported assassination was “another notch up the escalation ladder” of war. The IDF has not commented on the strike.
Israel said yesterday that residents of more than 40 towns and kibbutzim evacuated from the north of Gaza will not be allowed back until an end of hostilities.
About 76,000 people have fled border areas in southern Lebanon to evade daily rocket attacks, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
Fears of a wider escalation between Israel and Lebanon grew last week when Saleh al-arouri, a senior Hamas leader, was believed to have been killed in a drone strike on Beirut.
Last night Mr Blinken called on Israel to take greater steps to protect civilians, allow more aid into Gaza and work with moderate Palestinian leaders, saying regional countries would only invest in the reconstruction of Gaza if there is a “pathway to a Palestinian state”.
He also said he was “crystal clear” that Palestinians must be able to return to their homes “as soon as conditions allow”. Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, told Mr Blinken that increasing pressure on Iran would be critical to “prevent regional escalation in additional areas”.
Like other Israeli officials, Mr Gallant did not give any indication that there was an end in sight to its military campaign which has already claimed more than 23,000 lives in Gaza.
Israel is set to intensify its operation in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis until it achieved its objectives of rooting out Hamas leaders and freeing all hostages captured on Oct 7, Mr Gallant told Mr Blinken.
About 85 per cent of Gaza’s population – 1.9 million people – have been internally displaced, and now most live in intensely overcrowded temporary accommodation in the enclave’s south, according to the UN.
Yesterday, Israel agreed to allow a UN delegation into northern Gaza to evaluate the damaged infrastructure and map out what is needed for the return of the displaced residents, according to the Axios news website.