Israeli forces have targeted the headquarters of Hezbollah's southern command, and security sources say any attempt by the group to block Israeli advances will be met with expanded shelling.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it targeted the command post of a Hezbollah leader in the Ansar area in southern Lebanon, noting that the facility was used by the group to oversee operations in the region. It added that the operation came in response to what it described as military operations carried out by Hezbollah against Israeli forces in the security zone.
The Israeli military announced the killing of a sector commander in Rafidiyeh unit Samir al-Hajj Hassan. Hezbollah has not claimed any military operation so far.
The Israeli statement reflects an attempt to establish new bases for networks linked to Israeli reinforcements to control heights on Ali al-Tahir, the strategic eastern plateau above the Litani. These reinforcements include daily strikes on positions on the hill, dropping explosive devices with remote detonators, and strikes on convoys.
Israel is conditioning the stabilization of a ceasefire on Hezbollah's withdrawal from heights on Ali al-Tahir to achieve a lasting halt to fire in the region.
Security sources in southern Lebanon said that the bases the statement describes, based on shelling patterns, indicate that any attempt by Hezbollah to block Israeli advances on the plateau will be met with expanded shelling into the depths. They added that this aims to pressure the group and its environment, and the Lebanese state, which demands a lasting ceasefire and expanded demarcation of zones.
