The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported a significant blow to Hamas and Hezbollah on Saturday, confirming the deaths of two senior Hamas terrorists in Lebanon, including one based in the northern city of Tripoli. This strike marked Israel’s most northern operation to date in the ongoing conflict.
In southern Lebanon, the IDF claimed to have eliminated 440 Hezbollah terrorists, including 30 high-ranking commanders, since the start of its ground offensive. The toll on Israeli forces has been 12 soldiers, including two killed in a drone attack on a base in the Golan Heights.
The fate of Hashim Safa a-Din, reported successor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, remains uncertain after an airstrike on a bunker in Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood. Israel continues to target Hezbollah strongholds in the area, prompting residents to flee. The IDF has also ordered evacuations in several villages in the Bekaa Valley, a longtime Hezbollah stronghold.
In the West Bank, Israel confirmed that at least 12 of the 18 fatalities in an airstrike on Tulkarm were terrorists. Meanwhile, residents of Nuseirat in central Gaza have been warned to evacuate after rockets were fired from the area towards Israeli cities, marking the first such attacks in several weeks.
Update: In a video message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the IDF has begun to alter the security landscape in northern Israel, as promised. He highlighted the dismantling of Hezbollah’s Radwan forces, which had planned a large-scale attack, and vowed to respond to all attacks, including the unprecedented ballistic missile strike from Iran. Netanyahu honored the memory of fallen soldiers and reiterated the need to secure the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
