Israel kills a Hezbollah air defense unit official

The Israeli army announced on Monday the killing of Hezbollah members involved in the “reconstruction of military infrastructure,” as it prepares for new strikes in Lebanon.

In a statement, the Israeli army said it had killed Ali al-Hadi al-Haqani, a senior official in Hezbollah’s air defense unit, in the Harouf area of southern Lebanon on Sunday.

According to the Israeli army, al-Haqani had recently been responsible for efforts to rebuild military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah’s air defense unit.

The army also announced the killing of another Hezbollah member who was working on the reconstruction of the group’s military infrastructure, in an airstrike carried out earlier on Monday in the Ansariyeh area of southern Lebanon.

In addition, on Monday afternoon, the Israeli army issued an “immediate” evacuation warning to residents of two buildings in two villages in southern Lebanon, ahead of strikes targeting what it described as Hezbollah-affiliated sites.

Military spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote on his account on the X platform an urgent warning to residents of southern Lebanon, specifically in the villages of Kfar Tebnit and Ain Qana, stating that the army would soon strike military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah.

Israel has long said that the Iranian-backed Lebanese group is seeking to rebuild its capabilities, a claim reiterated in Adraee’s statement, while Beirut continues to condemn repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement.

Israel has continued to carry out airstrikes on Lebanon despite the ceasefire reached in November 2024, following a war with Hezbollah that lasted more than a year. It has also maintained its forces on five strategic hills in southern Lebanon, despite the agreement stipulating a full withdrawal.

The number of people killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon since the ceasefire came into effect has exceeded 360, according to figures from Agence France-Presse based on data from the Lebanese Ministry of Health.