Israeli drones carried multiple strikes around the coastal city of Tyre over the weekend, killing at least three people, one of whom the IDF later claimed was a high-ranking Hezbollah commander involved in rehabilitating the organization.
The first strike targeted a vehicle near Tyre, killing one person within. This is the commander, according to the IDF, and was reported in charge of Hezbollah in the Bint Jbeil area, though noticeably this strike was nowhere near Bint Jbeil.
The second strike, which happened later in the day, targeted a residential building in the town of Debaal, also in Tyre District. The Lebanese Health Ministry has confirmed the strike, saying two people were killed within, though they have not been identified.
The IDF has also not commented on the attack in Debaal yet, though it isn’t unusual for them not to comment when they’re attacking buildings instead of vehicles. The narrative has increasingly been that everyone killed was not only a Hezbollah commander, but one actively trying to restore operations and infrastructure in the south.
There is little evidence to support either of those claims. Often the slain are just driving in the still-functional vehicles in southern Lebanon, or clearing damaged farmland with a bulldozer. The IDF statements rarely offer anything proving their allegations about the victims, though they tend to be reported unquestioned by Israeli media outlets.
Since the November ceasefire ended the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Israel has carried out thousands of strikes against Lebanon, mostly against the south, and has killed several hundred people. Israeli ground troops have also not fully withdrawn, despite the ceasefire requiring them to do so.
