JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli subject said Sunday that it killed different high-ranking Hezbollah charismatic successful an airstrike arsenic nan Lebanese militant group was reeling from a drawstring of devastating blows and nan sidesplitting of its wide leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
The subject said Nabil Kaouk, nan lawman caput of Hezbollah’s Central Council, was killed connected Saturday. There was nary contiguous remark from Hezbollah, and it was not known wherever nan onslaught took place.
Several senior Hezbollah commanders person been killed successful Israeli strikes successful caller weeks, including founding members of nan group who had evaded decease aliases detention for decades and were adjacent to Nasrallah himself.
Hezbollah connected Sunday confirmed that different apical commander, Ali Karaki, died successful nan onslaught that killed Nasrallah. The Israeli subject had earlier said that Karaki was killed successful nan strike, which targeted what nan subject said was an underground compound wherever elder Hezbollah figures were meeting.
Hezbollah has besides been targeted by a blase onslaught connected its pagers and walkie-talkies that was wide blamed connected Israel. A activity of Israeli airstrikes crossed ample parts of Lebanon has killed astatine slightest 1,030 group — including 156 women and 87 children — successful little than 2 weeks, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Hundreds of thousands of group person been driven from their homes successful Lebanon by nan lastest strikes. The authorities estimates that astir 250,000 are successful shelters, pinch 3 to 4 times arsenic galore staying pinch friends aliases relatives, aliases camping retired connected nan streets, Environment Minister Nasser Yassin told The Associated Press.
Hezbollah has continued to occurrence rockets and missiles into bluish Israel, but astir person been intercepted aliases fallen successful unfastened areas, causing fewer casualties and only scattered damage.
Kaouk was a seasoned personnel of Hezbollah going backmost to nan 1980s and served arsenic Hezbollah’s subject commandant successful confederate Lebanon during nan 2006 warfare pinch Israel. He often appeared successful section media, wherever he would remark connected authorities and information developments, and he gave eulogies astatine nan funerals of elder militants. The United States had announced sanctions against him successful 2020.
Hezbollah began firing rockets, missiles and drones into bluish Israel aft Hamas’ Oct. 7 onslaught retired of Gaza triggered nan warfare there. Hezbollah and Hamas are friends that see themselves portion of an Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance” against Israel.
Israel has responded pinch waves of airstrikes, and nan conflict has steadily ratcheted up to nan brink of all-out war, raising fears of a region-wide conflagration.
Israel says it is wished to return immoderate 60,000 of its citizens to communities successful nan northbound that were evacuated astir a twelvemonth ago. Hezbollah has said it will only halt its rocket occurrence if location is simply a cease-fire successful Gaza, which has proven elusive contempt months of indirect negotiations betwixt Israel and Hamas led by nan United States, Qatar and Egypt.
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Chehayeb reported from Beirut.
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