Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli drone strike in south Lebanon, says IDF

A Hezbollah commander was killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon’s Kaouthariyet al-Saiyad, located between Sidon and Tyre, earlier today, the IDF says.

The IDF says it targeted Hussein Ali Nasr, the deputy chief of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, which is responsible for smuggling weapons into Lebanon.

As part of his role, the IDF says Nasr worked, alongside Iran, to smuggle weapons and funds into Lebanon to restore Hezbollah’s military capabilities. Some of the weapons and cash were smuggled via the Beirut airport, the military claims.

“Nasr was in contact with workers at the airport who were secretly operating for Hezbollah and assisting with smuggling operations. In addition, he advanced and led weapons procurement deals with smugglers along the Syria-Lebanon border. Moreover, as part of his role, he oversaw the organization’s force build-up process,” the IDF says.

The military says the strikes come as part of efforts against Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, which is tasked with delivering weapons from Iran and its proxies to Lebanon, via Syria and Iraq.

The strikes against Unit 4400 amid the war have included the assassinations of the head of the unit, Muhammad Ja’far Qassir, in Beirut in early October 2024, and his replacement, Ali Hassan Gharib, in Damascus several weeks later, alongside other top commanders.