Three Hezbollah terrorists killed in IDF strikes within hours

The IDF eliminated Zakaria Yahya al-Hajj, a senior Hezbollah terrorist in southern Lebanon whom the military said posed a direct threat to Israeli civilians.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel carried out a wave of precision strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday, eliminating three Hezbollah terrorists within a matter of hours as Jerusalem intensified pressure ahead of a looming deadline for the Iran-backed group to be disarmed.

According to reports, the first two strikes occurred within roughly an hour of each other earlier in the day. One Israeli strike targeted a motorcycle in the village of Yater, killing a Hezbollah terrorist. Shortly afterward, another vehicle was struck elsewhere in southern Lebanon, resulting in the death of a second terrorist.

Later on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces officially confirmed a third targeted killing. Operating under the Northern Command and with Air Force support, Israeli forces eliminated Zakaria Yahya al-Hajj, a senior Hezbollah terrorist, in the Jwaya area of southern Lebanon.

The IDF said al-Hajj played a key role within Hezbollah’s structure, including activating agents inside Lebanon’s security institutions and working to silence internal opposition to the terror group.

His activities, the military said, posed a direct threat to Israel and its civilians and represented a clear breach of the understandings governing security along the Israel-Lebanon border.

In a broader update, the IDF reported that since October it has eliminated approximately 40 Hezbollah terrorists across some 30 villages in southern Lebanon. Those figures are in addition to more than 380 terrorists killed since the ceasefire went into effect, during which Hezbollah has violated the agreement more than 1,900 times.

According to the military, many of those targeted were involved in rebuilding Hezbollah terror infrastructure, smuggling weapons, and coordinating operations between local villages and Hezbollah’s central command.

Israeli officials say this activity underscores Hezbollah’s continued military entrenchment south of the Litani River, in direct contradiction to international understandings intended to keep the area free of armed terror forces.

“The IDF will continue to act to remove any threat to the State of Israel,” the military said.

Sunday’s strikes came as Hezbollah’s leadership continues to openly reject disarmament, even as international pressure mounts. Israeli officials have signaled that time is running out, warning that if the Lebanese government fails to rein in or disarm Hezbollah by the approaching year-end deadline, Israel is prepared to significantly escalate its military response.

From Jerusalem’s perspective, Hezbollah’s refusal to comply with its obligations and its ongoing buildup along Israel’s northern border leave Israel with little choice but to act decisively to defend its citizens and restore security.

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