Hezbollah Field Commander Killed in Israeli Attack on Southern Lebanon

TUNIS (Sputnik) - A field commander of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement has been killed during an Israeli air attack on southern Lebanon, various media reported on Monday.

According to the reports, the Israeli airstrike killed Wissam Al-Tawil, one of the commander’s of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan brigade.

Later in the day, the Lebanese movement confirmed the media reports, saying that its senior commander had been inside a car at the moment of his death.

"With utmost pride and honor, the Islamic resistance mourns the martyr, commander of the fighters for the faith of Wissam Hassan Tawil, 'al-Hajj Jawad', from the town of Kherbet Selem in southern Lebanon, who attained martyrdom," the movement added in a statement.

The situation in southern Lebanon deteriorated after the start of Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army and Hezbollah fighters regularly exchange fire in areas along the border.

On October 7, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, while its fighters breached the border, opening fire on the military and civilians. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza and launched a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 22,800 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes, local authorities said.

On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1.