Israel says Hermel strike targeted 'significant' Hezbollah member
IThe Israeli military said an air strike it carried out Wednesday targeted a "significant" Hezbollah militant in Lebanon, where state media reported one person killed and another wounded.
"A short while ago, the IAF (air force) conducted a precise and intelligence-based strike on a significant Hezbollah terrorist in the 4400 Unit in the area of Qasr in Lebanon," the military said in a statement.
It later identified the target as Mahran Ali Nasser al-Din, saying he was killed in the raid.
"Mahran Ali Nasser Al-Din played a significant role in Hezbollah's weapons smuggling operations, and he was directly involved in coordinating with smugglers operating along the Syria-Lebanon border," the military added.
Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported that "an enemy drone targeted a vehicle on the Hermel-Qasr road, leaving one dead and one wounded" in the northeast of the country.
The attack came a day after Israel said it had "struck Hezbollah terrorists" inside a "production and storage facility for strategic weapons".
NNA said the Tuesday strike had killed at least two people and wounded two others.
More than a year of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel -- initiated by the Lebanese militant group in support of Gaza -- ended with a ceasefire in November that has largely held despite mutual accusations of violations.
Hezbollah was significantly weakened and its leadership decimated by the conflict, which included two months of full-scale war during which Israel sent in ground troops.
Under the November 27 truce agreement, Israeli forces were to withdraw from southern Lebanon while Hezbollah was to remove its military infrastructure from the area.
However, despite a deadline for implementing the truce passing earlier this month, Israeli troops remain in five points deemed "strategic" by the military.
Source: Agence France Presse
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