Israel Says Hezbollah Commander Among 150 Killed Ahead of Ceasefire

Jerusalem, April 2026 : The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday said it had killed a senior Hezbollah commander, Ali Rida Abbas, along with more than 150 members of the group in intense strikes carried out in the 24 hours leading up to a US-mediated ceasefire.

According to the military, Abbas was the commander for Hezbollah’s operations in the Bint Jbeil sector of southern Lebanon, an area it described as a key frontline zone for attacks against Israel. The military added that Abbas was the fourth Hezbollah commander in the Bint Jbeil region to be killed since October 2023. He was considered among the senior figures in the group’s armed wing and had previously survived Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah’s leadership in 2024. There has been no official confirmation of his death from Hezbollah.

The Israeli military said the strikes were part of a broader campaign targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and personnel before the ceasefire took effect. It claimed that approximately 1,800 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since the escalation of hostilities in early March 2026, alongside the destruction of around 300 military sites, including rocket launchers, command centres, and weapons storage facilities across Lebanon.

Separately, the military confirmed that one Israeli soldier was killed and nine others were injured during combat operations in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces remain deployed despite the ceasefire. According to reports, the soldier, a reservist, was killed when a military bulldozer struck an explosive device allegedly planted by Hezbollah. This marks the second Israeli military fatality since the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into effect late last week.

The latest round of violence is part of a broader conflict that intensified alongside tensions involving Iran. Israeli authorities said that since the outbreak of fighting six weeks ago, 15 of its soldiers have been killed.

Despite the truce, the Israeli military has indicated that it will continue operations deemed necessary to eliminate threats to its civilians and troops. Defence Minister Israel Katz reiterated that disarming Hezbollah remains a central objective, whether achieved through military action or political processes.

While the ceasefire has brought a temporary pause to large-scale hostilities, the situation on the ground remains fragile, with both sides maintaining a high level of alert.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)