By Jerald Jimenez
07 Aug 2024, 14:46 PM EDT
The Israeli army confirmed its responsibility for the airstrike that killed Hassan Fares Jeshi, commander of Hezbollah’s anti-tank missile unit, in a statement released today. The attack took place in the Lebanese town of Jouaiyya, located about 15 kilometers from the border with Israel.
The military statement also reported on previous attacks in the Aitaroun region, where several military structures were destroyed. According to the army, these bombings in southern Lebanon were aimed at “eliminating a threat”, although no further details were provided.
The attack, carried out by an Israeli drone, targeted a motorcycle on which Fares Jeshi was riding. The Lebanese Ministry of Health’s Emergency Operations Center confirmed that the attack left two people dead, including Jeshi, and six wounded. The National News Agency (ANN) reported that the drone fired a single missile at the motorcycle, and that a car passing by was also hit.
This incident comes amid rising tensions in the region. In mid-June, Jouaiyya was the scene of another significant airstrike that resulted in the deaths of several Hezbollah members, including commander Abu Taleb. This was the deadliest attack against Hezbollah since the start of the conflict with Israel in October.
In recent days, Israeli forces have stepped up their campaign of targeted attacks in southern Lebanon. On Tuesday, six Hezbollah fighters were killed in an attack, five of them in a single house.
Most of the victims are on the Lebanese side and belong to Hezbollah, which has confirmed the deaths of 367 of its militants and commanders, some of them in Syria.
A total of 47 people have been killed in northern Israel, including 22 soldiers and 25 civilians. Among the civilian victims are 12 children and teenagers who were killed in an attack in the Druze village of Majdal Shams.
With information from EFE