A senior commander from the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement was killed in an Israeli strike overnight in southern Lebanon, security sources said Wednesday, as Lebanon responded with massive airstrikes.
Taleb Abdallah and three Hezbollah fighters were killed in the Israeli drone strike on a house in the southern town of Jwaya, sources said.
Hezbollah said the commander's funeral will be held later in Beirut's southern suburbs, a stronghold of support for the movement.
Hezbollah referred to Taleb as a commander, but did not give his rank.
Lebanese security sources said Taleb was the head of the so-called al-Nasr Brigade in Hezbollah, which is responsible for military operations in the central sector of south Lebanon.
Lebanese local media said he is one of the highest-ranking officers to be killed after Wissam al-Tawil, another senior Hezbollah commander who was killed in January by Israel in Majdel al-Selim in south Lebanon.
There was initially no information about the incident from the Israeli army.
The Israeli army said Wednesday around 90 rockets have been fired from Lebanon into northern Israel. Some of these were intercepted by the missile defence system, while others hit several locations in northern Israel.
A number of fires broke out. According to the police, all of the missiles fell in uninhabited areas. There were no reports of casualties.
