IDF claims heavy casualties for Hezbollah in four-day assault

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced the elimination of approximately 250 Hezbollah militants over four days of operations in southern Lebanon, which included air strikes and ground assaults. 

Among the deceased militants were 21 commanders — five battalion commanders, ten company commanders, and six platoon commanders, Caliber.Az reports referring to IDF press service.

The IDF stated that around 2,000 military targets were struck, encompassing fortifications, military infrastructure, buildings, weapons depots, and rocket launchers. On October 2, the IDF confirmed the deaths of eight Israeli soldiers during ground battles in the region. Following this, Hezbollah claimed to have thwarted an Israeli army attempt to advance toward a border crossing in southern Lebanon.

In a separate development, the Israeli military announced the elimination of senior Hamas official Rauha Mushtaha, who was the de facto prime minister of the Gaza Strip. According to the IDF, Mushtaha was killed in a strike three months ago, alongside Hamas officials Sameh al-Siraj, the security minister in the group's politburo, and Sami Odeh, head of Hamas' "general security mechanism." The strike reportedly occurred while they were hiding in a tunnel in northern Gaza. The IDF accused Hamas of concealing its losses to maintain the morale and performance of its militants.

Over 1,900 individuals have died, and more than 9,000 have been injured in nearly a year of cross-border hostilities in Lebanon, with a significant portion of the casualties occurring in the past two weeks, according to Lebanese government statistics. The number of civilian casualties has not been disclosed, as Israeli strikes have primarily targeted Hezbollah militants.

As tensions escalate, with Iran's missile attacks and Israel's vow to retaliate, fears of a broader conflict in the oil-producing Middle East are rising. In response to the dramatic escalation, Western countries have prepared plans to evacuate their citizens from Lebanon, although no large-scale military evacuations have been executed yet. Some nations have arranged charter flights, and Beirut's airport remains operational.

By Tamilla Hasanova