A Lebanese security source confirmed today that four individuals, including a Hezbollah military commander, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting the town of Jwaya in southern Lebanon. This incident is part of the ongoing escalation between the two sides that has persisted for eight months.

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Southern Lebanon has been grappling with the consequences of the continuous war since the Gaza conflict began on October 7. The recent confrontation escalated with the targeted missile strike on a house where a Hezbollah military leader was located. The South Lebanon Civil Defense reported several injuries in the raid.

In a statement, Hezbollah mourned the military commander described as “the Mujahid Commander Taleb Sami Abdullah,” also known as “Hajj Abu Taleb,” born in 1969 in the town of Adchit in southern Lebanon.

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Who is the Senior Hezbollah Military Leader Taleb Abdullah?

Taleb Sami Abdullah, known as “Abu Taleb,” was 55 years old. He led the “Victory Unit” in the party, responsible for operations in the central region of the southern border strip with Israel up to the Litani River. This commander is considered the highest-ranking official killed since the escalation between Hezbollah and Israel began over eight months ago, coinciding with the outbreak of the Israeli war in Gaza.

Alongside Taleb Abdullah, the airstrike also killed senior leaders Mohammad Sabra, Salim Soufan, and Hussein Mohammad Hamid. The four members were targeted during a meeting held inside Soufan’s home in the Lebanese town of Jwaya.

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The “Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigade,” an Iraqi faction part of the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” mourned the leader “Abu Taleb,” affirming that he was a “comrade of the Quds Force commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Qassem Soleimani,” who was assassinated in a US airstrike in Iraq in early January 2020.

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According to the latest statistics from the Lebanese “International Information” institution, the number of fatalities in the confrontations in southern Lebanon reached 444, including 334 from Hezbollah, among them 15 from the party’s Islamic Health Authority, 18 from the Amal Movement allied with Hezbollah, 3 from the Amal-affiliated Scouts of the Message, 67 civilians, 5 from the Islamic Group, 3 journalists, 7 paramedics, one from the Lebanese Army, and one from the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.