Israeli Drone Strike Kills Hezbollah Air Defense Member in Northeast Lebanon

On Saturday, Israeli drones carried out an attack on a vehicle traveling in northeastern Syria. The strike killed Maytham Mustafa al-Attar, described as a “prominent” member of Hezbollah’s air defense unit.

In keeping with Israeli military statements, he was described as involved in planning and carrying out attacks against Israel. His role in air defense isn’t clear.

The IDF also said he was a “significant source of knowledge,” gained from visits to Iran. These visits are also reported to have allowed him to be involved in helping Hezbollah acquire weapons.

The attack took place near the town of Shaat, in Lebanon’s Baalbek District. Though most Israeli attacks are carried out in the south of Lebanon, some strikes take place in the northeast, near Syria’s border, which is an important area for Hezbollah.

Hezbollah responded with a series of rocket strikes against northern Israel, hitting the Israeli air base at Mount Meron with an anti-tank rocket. Five Israeli soldiers were reported wounded, two of them seriously, in the attack. Hezbollah also reported some aerial surveillance equipment was destroyed in the attack.

Israel and Hezbollah have been trading attacks across the border for around nine months now, with the violence escalating in recent weeks, fueling concerns that a full-scale Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon could be imminent.