Hours after the IDF killed Hezbollah’s chief of staff in Beirut, a senior American official told Israel Hayom that the strike had not been coordinated in advance. According to the official, the US was updated only immediately afterward and, as he put it, “my understanding is that he was a target of opportunity and the Israelis seized the chance.”
The strike, dubbed "Black Friday", was in the Dahiyeh stronghold. The target: Haytham 'Ali Tabataba'i, the group's military chief. Israel braces for potential reprisal, as November 2024 truce tested. "Israel is determined to act to achieve its objectives everywhere and at all times," PM says.
Lebanese media reported coordinated airstrikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure across multiple regions as drone activity increased over Dahiyeh.
It is possible Israel will launch a short, proactive operation to strike Hezbollah targets across Lebanon in order to prevent the terrorist organization from rebuilding its strength.
Hezbollah has informed Lebanese leaders that it intends to respond to future Israeli strikes against its operatives, according to a letter the Shia terror organization sent to top officials in Beirut.
The IDF said that, "an initial inquiry suggests that UNIFIL forces stationed nearby deliberately fired at the drone and downed it. The drone's activity did not pose a threat to UNIFIL forces."
Salah Abu-Hussein was freed following negotiations conducted in recent months with the assistance of the Red Cross. He was transferred to Israel at the Rosh Hanikra crossing from Lebanese authorities to the Coordinator of Prisoners and Missing Persons, Gal Hirsch.
Incident in Bedias village highlights growing tensions as US and Israel consider ending UN peacekeeping mission
The Israeli Air Force conducted strikes in the Dahiyeh neighborhood of Beirut, focused on Hezbollah’s subterranean drone manufacturing facilities. According to the IDF, the facilities are part of an Iranian initiative to prepare the terrorist group for a future confrontation with Israel.
Lebanon’s army, leveraging Israeli intelligence via US intermediaries, has significantly curtailed Hezbollah’s military presence in the south, bolstering a delicate November ceasefire, The Wall Street Journal reported.
