Israel strikes in Lebanon killing more terrorist leaders

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  “Fateh Sherif, Head of the Lebanon Branch in the Hamas terrorist organization,” and “The Commander of Hezbollah's Preventative Security Unit and a member of their Executive Council, Nabil Qaouk,” according to the Israeli Defense Forces.

 “Sherif was responsible for coordinating Hamas' terror activities in Lebanon with Hezbollah operatives, as well as Hamas’ efforts in Lebanon to recruit operatives and acquire weapons.” As for Qaouk, “He joined Hezbollah in the 1980s and was regarded as an important source of expertise in his field, having served as the Deputy Commander of the southern region on the Operational Council, Commander of the southern region and Deputy Commander of the Operational Council,” the IDF announced on social media Monday and Sunday, respectively.  

  Israel said Monday it also recently killed two Lebanon-based officials from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Nidal Abdel-Aal and Imad Odeh. The IDF said “Abdel-Aal took part in planning and carrying out terror attacks against Israel and directed terror activities in Judea and Samaria,” and he “directed the bus bombing attack in Beitar Illit on March 9, 2023, and the shooting attack from a passing vehicle at the Huwara Junction on March 25, 2023.” Not much is known yet about Odeh.

 Parallel to this: “Israeli special forces have been carrying out small, targeted raids into southern Lebanon, gathering intelligence and probing ahead of a possible broader ground incursion that could come as soon as this week,” the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing former Israeli military officials.

 Driving this strategy: “Israel’s government is under pressure to create a buffer zone to stop Hezbollah attacks that have forced some 60,000 people from their homes in the north and prevent the sort of cross-border attack that Hamas led against Israel on Oct. 7, which many in the country still fear. Hezbollah has threatened for years to invade parts of northern Israel,” the Journal writes.

 About that Nasrallah strike: It was most likely carried out using “2,000-pound bombs, including the American-manufactured BLU-109 with a JDAM kit,” the New York Times reported after analyzing video released by the Israeli military. “These bombs, a type of munition known as bunker busters, can penetrate underground before detonating,” the Times writes.

According to Israel, Nasrallah and about 20 of his followers “were in Hezbollah’s central headquarters, located in the heart of Beirut, embedded beneath civilian buildings” when they were killed. That building was just 53 meters from a United Nations-run school, the IDF said with an accompanying map.

 Amid all the airstrikes and missile attacks, the Pentagon reminded the world Sunday it has the authorization to deploy troops at short notice. The U.S. military “continues to maintain a significant amount of capability in the region and to dynamically adjust our force posture based on the evolving security situation,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.