Hezbollah mourns commander and fighters killed in Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon

Shafaq News / Hezbollah announced, on Wednesday, the martyrdom of four of its fighters, including a revered commander, following an Israeli airstrike on a civilian residence in the town of Jouya, deep in southern Lebanon.

According to the statement, the four fighters are: Commander Taleb Sami Abdullah "Haj Abu Taleb", Mohammad Hussein Sabra "Baqer", Ali Salim Soufan "Kumail", and Hussein Mohammad Hameed "Sajed".

Lebanese sources identified "Abu Taleb", head of the so-called "Al-Nasr (Victory) Unit" within Hezbollah. Abu Taleb is considered the highest-ranking Hezbollah official assassinated since the onset of the Israeli offensive on Gaza and southern Lebanon.

The Israeli airstrike on Jouya targeted a meeting of several top Hezbollah commanders. In response to the heightened security situation, Lebanese reports indicated that exams in Jouya schools have been postponed until Thursday.

The Israeli military confirmed the strike, stating that its fighter jets attacked a Hezbollah military building, a rocket launch site, and infrastructure in Aytroun and Meiss el-Jabal.

Additionally, an Israeli drone targeted a cell preparing to launch rockets in Deir Aames.

Since October 7, Hezbollah has been deeply involved in intense, near-daily cross-border fighting with Israel.

Approximately 320 Hezbollah members have been killed in Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon during this period.

The group mourns its members killed by Israel under the slogan: "on the path to Jerusalem," in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, of whom 37,702 have been killed in the Israeli aggression launched there.

Israel, however, remains highly secretive about its losses, but reports indicate that northern settlements are empty of residents, who have either fled or sought refuge in shelters.

There is significant internal Israeli conflict over the escalating tensions with Hezbollah, particularly given the group's substantial arsenal, which Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah claims includes up to 100,000 missiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv.

Hezbollah possessed approximately 2,000 anti-aircraft missiles of various types.

The Center asserted that Hezbollah, with Iranian assistance, is consistently updating and maintaining its arsenal. Even in the event of a full-scale war with Israel, Hezbollah's weapon production and transfer activities are expected to persist.

The Center projected that Hezbollah could execute an average of 3,000 rocket launches per day into Israeli territory for at least ten days in a full-scale conflict. Should the war extend to two months, Hezbollah would likely sustain an average of 1,000 launches daily.

In addition to rocket launches, Hezbollah is anticipated to employ mortars, anti-tank missiles, drones, and possibly some anti-aircraft missiles in attacks on Israeli military forces maneuvering in southern Lebanon.

The group might also deploy heavy short-range rockets against Israeli ground forces, according to the report.