The spokesman for the Israeli army, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, claimed this Monday to have shot down the commander of the Hezbollah unit responsible for transferring weapons from Iran, in an air strike in Damascus. Hagari did not reveal his name or give further details, but said the commander had only been in office for a few weeks, following the recent death of his predecessor.
At least two people were killed today and three others were injured in this guided missile attack, which targeted a car in the affluent Mezzeh neighborhood of Damascus, the Syrian Defense Ministry said. So far, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), seven Hezbollah brigade commanders have been eliminated and have reiterated their intention to continue the offensive in southern Lebanon against the Shiite group supported by Iran.
“The IDF continues targeted operations in the Lebanese sector and, in close cooperation between the Air Force, seven brigade commanders, 21 battalion commanders and 24 company commanders of the terrorist organization Hezbollah have been eliminated to date,” the Army said in a statement. military regarding the conflict with the Lebanese armed group, which began on October 8 last year and which intensified in the last month.
Regarding the death toll, the IDF recorded more than two thousand Hezbollah members killed, a number that includes more than 1,200 militants since the start of the ground offensive on Lebanese soil, on October 1.
Also this Monday, the Israeli Army struck a bunker belonging to the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah that contained “tens of millions of dollars”, as part of its offensive in Lebanon against that movement’s financial interests.
“The Israeli Air Force carried out a series of precision attacks against financial targets of Hezbollah,” said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. “One of our priority targets was an underground vault that contained tens of millions of dollars in cash and gold. The money was used to finance Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel,” he added, without specifying its exact location.
Other news that marked the day:
⇒ Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant signed an act declaring the financial entity Al-Qard al-Hassan, affiliated with the Shiite group Hezbollah, but also used by ordinary Lebanese citizens, as a terrorist organization, his office said. The act, signed on the recommendation of the chief of staff of the Israeli Army, Herzi Halevi, and the national security service, Shin Bet, adds the institution to the list of terrorist organizations designated by Israel.
⇒ The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the “considerable damage” caused to civilian installations by Israeli bombings that targeted a financial organization linked to the Shiite Hezbollah movement on Sunday in Lebanon. “We condemn the massive Israeli bombing of several urban and residential areas which, according to the Israeli army, targeted facilities affiliated with the Al-Qard al-Hassan financial association,” he said in a statement.
⇒ The President of the United States, Joe Biden, is “deeply concerned” about the disclosure of confidential documents about Israel’s preparation for a potential retaliatory attack against Iran, said a White House spokesperson.
⇒ An Israeli attack in northern Gaza on facilities belonging to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees killed at least ten people and injured 30, the Palestinian agency WAFA reported. In Baalbek (eastern Lebanon), at least six people died in an Israeli attack.
⇒ US special envoy Amos Hochstein argued that UN Resolution 1701 – which ended the last war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 – remains the basis for a ceasefire in Lebanon. “The commitment we have is to resolve this conflict based on Resolution 1701″, Hochstein told journalists, in statements made in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, admitting, however, that the simple fact that both parties are committed to respecting this resolution ” is not enough.”
⇒ The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, travels to the Middle East this Monday, on his 11th trip to the region since the start of the war in Gaza, when Israel intensifies attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
⇒ Iran reiterated that atomic weapons have no place in its nuclear doctrine, despite public debates and requests from ultraconservative sectors to review this policy in light of the escalation of the conflict with Israel. “The country’s defined policy says that weapons of mass destruction have no place in our defense doctrine,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at a news conference.
⇒ The European Commission has called on European Union (EU) Member States to send urgent medical assistance to Lebanon, following the worsening humanitarian situation triggered by the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Source: expresso.pt
