Hezbollah air unit’s entire chain of command eliminated, claims Israel

JERUSALEM: The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Wednesday said it had confirmed the death of the head of Hezbollah’s air unit, eliminating the entire chain of command for the unit responsible for launching cruise missiles and drones at Israel. The announcement came hours after a ceasefire took effect.

The IDF said Ja’far Ali Samaha, the unit’s head of operations and deputy commander, was killed in a targeted strike in Beirut on Tuesday. “Hezbollah’s air unit was established under Iranian leadership. Over the years, the unit has received drones, cruise missiles, and production components from Iran, while training has been provided to the unit’s operators”, the army said. The IDF added that the unit’s assets were covertly stored in civilian homes across Lebanon.

70% of Hezbollah’s UAV stockpile and most of the cruise missile inventory of Hezbollah’s Aerial Unit (127) were destroyed yesterday.

As part of the IDF’s operational activity in Lebanon, IAF fighter jets launched a comprehensive strike last night, prior to the ceasefire… pic.twitter.com/4AZvM6MgDl

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 27, 2024

For years, Hezbollah has developed a sophisticated aerial warfare capability with substantial support from Iran, which has provided drones, cruise missiles, and production components. The Air Unit, which coordinates and executes aerial terror attacks, has been responsible for daily drone strikes aimed at Israeli territory.

Since September 23, when Israel began airstrikes on Hezbollah, the Air Force has destroyed more than 200 sites specifically linked to the Air Unit, including more than 150 drone launching sites, 30 command centers, and four factories for missiles and drones. According to the IDF, the strikes destroyed about 70 per cent of the terror organization’s UAV stockpile.

The two-month ceasefire went into effect at 4 am. Under the terms of the agreement, Hezbollah is supposed to withdraw its armed presence from areas of southern Lebanon south of the Litani River. Israeli forces will also withdraw from southern Lebanon in stages. The Lebanese Armed Forces is to be deployed in southern Lebanon including along the 120 km border with Israel, as will monitors from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

After the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, Hezbollah began launching rockets and launching drones at northern Israel communities daily. More than 68,000 residents of northern Israel are displaced from their homes. Hezbollah leaders have repeatedly said they would continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes.

According to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah is forbidden from operating in southern Lebanon south of the Litani River.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 97 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead. Hamas has also been holding captive two Israeli civilians since 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014. (ANI/TPS)