Tel Aviv/Beirut, Nov 2, (dpa/GNA) – Four members of the Hezbollah militia have been “eliminated” in a strike in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military reported early on Sunday.
The target of the attack, which took place on Saturday, was an officer in the Radwan elite unit of the Shiite militia, who was “involved in transferring weapons and in efforts to reestablish Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon,” the Israeli military report said.
Three other members of the unit were also “eliminated” during the strike, it added.
Lebanese media reported that a car had been the target of the drone attack. They confirmed that four people had died and a further three had been injured.
The Israeli military said the men’s activities had “constituted a threat to the State of Israel and its civilians, and a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz wrote on X: “The Lebanese government’s obligation to disarm Hezbollah and remove it from southern Lebanon must be implemented.”
While a ceasefire between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel has been in force since late November last year, Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked targets in Lebanon. Israeli accuses the militia of seeking to rebuild its military capacities.
In August, the Lebanese government agreed to a plan devised by the United States for disarming Hezbollah by the end of this year. Hezbollah has not agreed to this timetable.
The disarmament of Hezbollah is a fraught issue for the Lebanese government, as the militia enjoys widespread support in the country, particularly among its Shiite population.
The militia sees itself as the only true resistance against Israel, its arch-enemy. The Lebanese army has been tasked with carrying out the disarmament, but it is seen as weak and poorly equipped by comparison with Hezbollah.
GNA