Israel kills Hezbollah's top commander, captures official in separate ops

Sharing a post on X, the IDF wrote, 'Commander of the Hezbollah Nasser Unit's Missiles and Rockets Array, Jaafar Khader Faour, was eliminated in the area of Jouaiyya in southern Lebanon'

In a significant blow to Hezbollah, Israel announced the elimination of Jaafar Khader Faour, commander of the Nasser Unit's Missiles and Rockets Array, in southern Lebanon's Jouaiyya area.

Sharing a post on X, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) wrote, "The Commander of the Hezbollah Nasser Unit's Missiles and Rockets Array, Jaafar Khader Faour, was eliminated in the area of Jouaiyya in southern Lebanon."

According to IDF, Faour was reportedly responsible for multiple devastating rocket attacks on Israeli territory, including the tragic deaths of Israeli civilians from Kibbutz Ortal and 12 children in Majdal Shams, as well as five civilians in Metula.

"Faour was responsible for multiple rocket attacks toward the Golan, including an attack that resulted in the deaths of Israeli civilians from Kibbutz Ortal, an attack on Majdal Shams which killed 12 children and injured many and the rocket attack on Metula last Thursday, which resulted in the deaths of 5 civilians," the IDF said.

Faour's command also oversaw terrorist attacks launched from eastern Lebanon, commencing on October 8, which targeted Israeli territory.

"Additionally, Faour was responsible for terrorist attacks carried out from eastern Lebanon, from which the first rocket launches toward Israeli territory were fired on October 8, under his command," IDF added.

Meanwhile, Israeli naval commandos carried out a raid in northern Lebanon late Friday and captured a Hezbollah official, according to a report by Times of Israel.

The raid took place approximately 140 kilometres (87 miles) north of Israel's maritime border with Lebanon. The IDF late on Saturday confirmed that the Navy's Shayetet 13 commando unit was involved in the operation.

The Hezbollah operative, named in media reports as Imad Amhaz, was considered by the IDF to be a "significant source of knowledge" in the terror group's naval force, Times of Israel reported.

Amhaz has been taken into Israeli custody for questioning by Unit 504, the Military Intelligence Directorate's specialised human intelligence (HUMINT) division. The focus of the interrogation will be Hezbollah's naval operations.