Israel says it killed senior Hezbollah anti-tank commander in airstrike

The Israeli military said it had killed a senior Hezbollah commander in an airstrike in southern Lebanon, accusing him of directing anti-tank attacks against northern Israel over the past two years.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the Israeli Air Force carried out a strike on March 25 in the Hajir area, targeting Hassan Mohammad Bashir, a senior commander in Hezbollah’s anti-tank unit, Caliber.Az reports. 

According to the IDF, Bashir was responsible for overseeing anti-tank fire toward Israeli communities near the northern border and for commanding several cells involved in repeated attacks on Israeli military positions and civilian areas.

The Israeli military alleged that in recent months Bashir had expanded his role to areas north of the Litani River and had been involved in training operatives within Hezbollah’s anti-tank array.

The IDF said his killing would weaken Hezbollah’s capacity to carry out further attacks against Israeli forces and civilians.

By Sabina Mammadli