IDF kills senior Hamas, Hezbollah terror leaders in Lebanon strikes

Khalid Ahmad Ahmad and Adnan Harb played key roles in cross-border attacks, weapons smuggling, and rebuilding operations for Iranian-backed terror groups.

By JNS

Israel eliminated senior Hamas operative Khalid Ahmad Ahmad via an airstrike near Sidon, Lebanon on Wednesday, according to the Israeli military.

Ahmad served as head of operations in Hamas’s Western Brigade in Lebanon, and was directly involved in orchestrating terror attacks against Israeli civilians and military forces throughout the ongoing war, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

In recent weeks, Ahmad was engaged in weapons smuggling and planning further attacks on Israeli territory, the IDF said. The military described his activity as a “direct threat to the State of Israel and its citizens.”

His elimination followed a series of Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and personnel across Lebanon.

On Tuesday, a senior Hezbollah operative was killed in an airstrike on the Nabatieh region in Southern Lebanon, according to the IDF. He was identified as Adnan Muhammad Sadiq Harb, a commander in the terrorist group’s Badr Unit.

Harb played a key role in Hezbollah’s operations north of the Litani River and was responsible for the rehabilitation of the group’s terror capabilities, according to the IDF.

He was also actively involved in restoring Hezbollah’s infrastructure south of the Litani, the military said—a move considered a violation of the post-2006 war understandings between Israel and Lebanon.

In addition to overseeing logistics, Harb was involved in the transfer of weapons across Lebanese territory for various Hezbollah units, according to the IDF.

“The IDF will continue to act against any threat to the State of Israel,” the statement concluded.

On Monday night, Israeli forces struck a strategic Hezbollah weapons production and storage facility in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley. The Iranian-backed terrorist group was attempting to reestablish its operational presence at the site, according to the IDF.

Additional strikes were carried out on Hezbollah infrastructure in the area of Srifa in Southern Lebanon.

“The IDF will continue to take action to eliminate threats to the State of Israel and will prevent any attempt by Hezbollah to rebuild its terror capabilities,” said the military.

Last week, the IDF carried out a “forceful” strike on a Hezbollah arms storage facility in Beirut. According to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, the facility housed precision-guided missiles, which were described as posing a “significant threat to the State of Israel.”

“Israel will not allow Hezbollah to strengthen or create any threat against it—anywhere in Lebanon,” the statement read. “The Dahiya district in Beirut will not serve as a safe haven for the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”

Jerusalem also emphasized that the Lebanese government bears direct responsibility for preventing such threats emanating from its territory.