From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Lebanon rejects IDF claim that soldier killed in Israeli airstrike was Hezbollah member
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Lebanon rejects Israeli accusations that a Lebanese soldier killed in an airstrike near the southern city of Sidon had links to Hezbollah, after Israel said it had attacked three terror operatives working to rebuild the group’s infrastructure.
The IDF said the men were involved in planning attacks against its forces and that two were members of Hezbollah’s air defense unit. It also alleged that one of those killed was serving concurrently in Lebanese army intelligence.
The Lebanese army later confirmed that Warrant Officer Ali Abdullah of the army’s Support Brigade and Anti-Tank Regiment was killed when an Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle near Sidon yesterday.
The Lebanese defense ministry says suggestions that army personnel were tied to political or armed groups were false, and Defense Minister Michel Menassa says such reports amount to a “malicious attack” on the institution.
A Hezbollah official also denies to Reuters any link between the terror group and members of the Lebanese army.
The Times of Israel Community.