Israel's Navy killed Hezbollah's Southern Front Commander, Hajj Yusuf Ismail Hashem
By Bernie,
Israel's Navy killed Hezbollah's Southern Front Commander, Hajj Yusuf Ismail Hashem, in a precision strike in Beirut on Tuesday, the IDF announced. The strike was directed by the Intelligence Directorate and Northern Command.
Hashem took over the Southern Front after his predecessor Ali Karaki was killed alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in the September 2024 strike on Hezbollah's underground headquarters in Dahiyeh. The Southern Front is the unit responsible for all Hezbollah combat operations against the IDF in southern Lebanon and for rocket and drone launches toward Israeli territory. Hashem, a veteran of over 40 years within the organization, previously commanded the Nasser, Aziz, and Badr units, all of which operate along the border.
His killing continues Israel's systematic campaign against Hezbollah's command structure since March 2. In recent weeks Israel has killed the head of Hezbollah's intelligence arm, Hussein Makled, and the commander of the Nasr unit, Abu Hussein Ragheb. Separately, the IAF struck and killed Mahdi Vafaei, head of the engineering branch of the Quds Force's Lebanon Corps, in Iran on Tuesday. Vafaei had spent 20 years building underground infrastructure and weapons storage facilities for Hezbollah across Lebanon and Syria.
Topics: Iran, Lebanon & Hezbollah, Missile Defense & Alerts
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