A car in flames near Jarjouh after an Israeli strike, on Feb. 15, 2025. (Photo sent by locals to L'Orient Today's correspondent Muntasser Abdallah)
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and the Israeli army said that the drone strike carried out Saturday evening by Israel in south Lebanon targeted an alleged high-ranking Hezbollah official whose death was confirmed by L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon.
Israel Katz identified this official as Abbas Hammoud, one of the leaders of Hezbollah's air unit, known as Unit 127 and responsible for launching drones into Israel.
“We will not allow the launching of drones towards Israel. The launching of these drones crosses a red line and is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” he said in a statement following the strike. The Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, wrote a similar message on X.
According to the Israeli army, Hammoud had repeatedly violated the cease-fire agreement by launching drones towards Israel, one of which had been intercepted a few days earlier.
One dead in building collapse
Another strike had taken place earlier in the Ainata area (Bint Jbeil) without causing casualties.
The claim of this assassination attempt, a frequent procedure during the 15 months of war between Hezbollah and Israel, was almost unprecedented since the start of the truce on Nov. 27, which was initially set for 60 days and has been extended until Feb. 18. This strike hit a vehicle at the Jarjouh-Arab Salim intersection in Iqlim al-Touffah (Nabatieh).
The Health Ministry said in a statement that the strike took place in the village of Arab Salim (Nabatieh) and that it resulted in two deaths and five injuries. Hammoud and Ahmad Farhat, executive producer at Nabaa TV, were killed in the strike. Hezbollah has not yet officially confirmed the death of the alleged commander.
The ministry said that a third person was killed in the collapse of a building Saturday in Ain Qana (Nabatieh), which had been targeted by an earlier Israeli strike. An Israeli bulldozer protected by a tank destroyed a water reservoir in the village of Kfar Shouba (Hasbaya), near Kfar Hamam and Hebbarieh.