Nabil Kaouk, a Hezbollah central council member, during the funeral of a slain Hebzollah member in Khirbet Silm on Feb. 27, 2024. (Courtesy of: Muntasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Hezbollah central council member Nabil Kaouk has said that the downing of a Hermes-450 drone by the party on Monday marks a "new phase in the confrontation" with Israel. Kaouk's remarks came during the funeral on Tuesday of Hezbollah fighter Hassan Hussein Salami, who was killed Monday in a targeted drone strike in Mjadel in southern Lebanon.
On Monday, Hezbollah fighters successfully used a surface-to-air missile to shoot down a $2 million Hermes-450 Israeli drone that violated Lebanese airspace in southern Lebanon. Israel a short time later bombed the Baalbeck area of the Bekaa, killing two people, in addition to continuing its campaign of shelling and airstrikes in south Lebanon. Speaking from the funeral in Khirbet Silm (Bint Jbeil district), Kaouk said that Hezbollah's response to these Israeli attacks targeted "key Israeli sites in the Golan Heights, Meron base, and Kiryat Shmona."
The funeral in Khirbet Silm was attended by several Hezbollah MPs, religious figures, and local residents. Kaouk emphasized that "Israeli arrogance was shattered by Hezbollah in Lebanon when it downed the Hermes-450 drone. This once-proud Israeli drone now lies in pieces beneath the feet of the resistance fighters."
The funeral in Khirbet Silm of a slain Hezbollah member. (Courtesy of: Muntasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)
Concluding his comments, Kaouk asserted that "the downing of the Hermes-450 drone establishes a new phase in the confrontation, and the period following this incident will not be the same as before," without elaborating further.
According to Israeli media, Salami was a regional commander of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has described him as one of the party's fighters but has not mentioned his rank. L'Orient Today has made repeated attempts to reach Hezbollah for comment on Salami's rank but has so far been unsuccessful.
Hezbollah has only confirmed the rank of one of its slain members since Oct. 8. The party described Wissam Tawil, who was killed in an Israeli attack in January, as a military commander. The party also published his biography and an account of his work within the party.