Escalation continues, warning of full-scale war: Israel assassinates new Hezbollah commander

Shafaq News/ On Thursday, the Israeli army announced the elimination of Fadel Ibrahim, the commander of Hezbollah's operations in Jouaiyya area, in Deir Kifa. This move heightens the ongoing escalation between the two sides amid threats and warnings of a full-scale war.

The army added that Ibrahim was "responsible for planning and executing attacks" against Israeli territory and simultaneously led infantry forces in the Jouaiyya area."

The Israeli army also stated that its aircraft targeted a surface-to-air missile platform belonging to Hezbollah's air defense forces in Al-Rihan area, which "posed a threat" to aerial units operating in Lebanese airspace.

Hezbollah announced on Wednesday the death of three of its members in an Israeli airstrike on the town of Yaron in southern Lebanon.

Since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7 in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging daily shelling.

The escalation has resulted in the death of more than 473 people in Lebanon, including at least 308 Hezbollah fighters and 92 civilians, according to a tally by Agence France-Presse based on Hezbollah's statements and official Lebanese sources.

The Israeli side reported the deaths of 15 soldiers and 11 civilians.

On Tuesday, the Israeli army announced in a statement that senior Israeli military officials "conducted a joint assessment of the situation in the northern command.

As part of the assessment, operational plans for an attack in Lebanon were approved and ratified."

Prior to the announcement, Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz had threatened to eliminate Hezbollah in the event of a "full-scale war."