Israeli drone strike kills top Hezbollah commander responsible for weapons provision

An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed a senior Hezbollah commander on April 20, according to a statement from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). 

The strike targeted Hussein Ali Nasr, the deputy chief of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400 — the unit responsible for smuggling weapons into Lebanon, Caliber.Az reports, citing Israeli media.

The strike took place in the town of Kaouthariyet al-Saiyad, located between Sidon and Tyre. The IDF said Nasr played a central role in coordinating weapons and cash smuggling operations with Iranian support to bolster Hezbollah’s military capabilities. Some of these operations allegedly involved Beirut’s international airport.

“Nasr was in contact with workers at the airport who were secretly operating for Hezbollah and assisting with smuggling operations. In addition, he advanced and led weapons procurement deals with smugglers along the Syria-Lebanon border,” the IDF said in a statement.

The IDF accused Nasr of overseeing Hezbollah’s military build-up and directly facilitating the transfer of weapons from Iran and its proxies through Syria and Iraq into Lebanon.

By Khagan Isayev