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Published January 9, 2024, 2:07 pm ET
A senior Hezbollah commander responsible for a series of drone strikes in northern Israel since October 7 has been ironically killed in a drone strike, according to reports.
Ali Hussein Barji, head of Hezbollah's air force in southern Lebanon, was killed on Tuesday in an explosion in the town of Khirbet Selm, where members of the Iran-backed terror group were attending the funeral of senior officer Wissam al-Tawil, the Times Israel reported.
Barji was believed to be the mastermind of the drone strikes that have plagued northern Israel since Lebanese terrorists Hezbollah launched their own attack on the Jewish state in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Those attacks included an attack on the Israel Defense Forces' Northern Command headquarters in Safed on Tuesday – before Barji died the same day.
The main Israeli base was hit by a drone loaded with explosives. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack in response to al-Tawil's death on Monday and the killing of Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut last week.
Ali Hussein Barji, head of Hezbollah's drone force in southern Lebanon, was killed in a drone strike on Tuesday. Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian/X The attack occurred in the town of Khirbet Selm, where Hezbollah members were gathering for a funeral for one of their senior officers. kaisos1987/X
The IDF said the attack on the Safed base triggered rocket sirens in several cities in northern Israel. According to the Israeli military, there were no casualties in Tuesday's attacks.
The IDF did not comment on the drone strike that killed Barji.
However, the Israeli military admitted to carrying out a series of airstrikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Tuesday morning.
The Lebanon-based terror group was holding a funeral for top commander Wissam al-Tawil when one of its drone experts was killed. AP Another Hezbollah star, Wissam al-Tawil, was killed in an Israeli strike on Monday. AP
The IDF confirmed that a Hezbollah drone strike force was eliminated before it could carry out its own attack against the Jewish state.
According to Portal, Hezbollah confirmed that three other members besides Barji were killed on Tuesday when an Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle in the town of Ghandouriyeh.
The Iran-backed terror group identified the slain members as Sharif Sayyid Nasser, Issa Ali Nour a-Din and Hassan Abdel Hussein Ismail.
Ali Hussein Barj was believed to be behind a Tuesday morning attack on the IDF's northern base in Safed before he himself was killed by a drone. GLZRadio/X
Israel and Hezbollah have remained in heated conflict since the terror group began launching attacks across the border in October to show support for its Palestinian terrorist ally Hamas.
Now the attacks, combined with the ongoing war in Gaza, threaten to plunge the entire region into conflict, warned US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet on Tuesday.
Netanyahu has threatened to go to war in southern Lebanon if Hezbollah does not stop its attacks on the Jewish state, as constant rocket fire has displaced around 80,000 residents in northern Israel.
Israel launched a series of new attacks against Hezbollah on Tuesday. AFP via Getty Images
According to the Israeli military, at least nine IDF soldiers have been killed in fighting with Hezbollah so far.
Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said in a televised statement on Tuesday that the terror group would like to avoid war in Lebanon, “but if Israel expands, the response is inevitable on the largest possible scale necessary to deter Israel.” is.”
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati told the United Nations on Tuesday that a war between Israel and Hezbollah must be avoided and that his country is ready to work with the Jewish state to promote stability in the region rather than a second war to trigger.
With post wires
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