‘Fate Unclear’: Israel’s Fresh Lebanon Offensive Targets Hezbollah Drone Chief Abu Saleh –

Hezbollah on Thursday said its drone chief was targeted by Israeli forces in an airstrike on Beirut. A source close to the group told news agency AFP that Israeli airstrikes targeted Mohammed Srur, known as Abu Saleh.

“The Israeli strike targeted the commander of Hezbollah’s drone unit, Mohammed Srur, known as Abu Saleh, whose fate is still unclear,” the Hezbollah official said, after the Israeli military said it was “carrying out precise strikes in Beirut”, without immediately providing further details.

The Lebanese state media said that the Beirut strikes killed two people.

Srur studied mathematics and was among a number of top advisers sent by Hezbollah to Yemen to train the country’s Huthi rebels, who are also backed by Iran, the source close to Hezbollah said.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency said “three missiles” targeted “a residential apartment in a 10-storey building”.

According to AFP, the target of the strike was close to the building where the head of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, Ibrahim Aqil, and other commanders were killed in a strike last Friday.

Lebanon’s health ministry said that strike killed 55 people, including seven children.

The Israeli army also said that the target of their airstrike in Beirut was the head of Hezbollah’s aerial forces, the Times of Israel said citing defence ministry officials.

Hezbollah’s aerial forces are responsible for the Lebanese militant group’s drones, among other units.

The Israeli defence forces (IDF) said that it will provide further details on the “targeted strike” in the Lebanese capital soon.

Israeli bombing of Iran-backed Hezbollah strongholds around Lebanon has killed hundreds of people this week, while the militant group has retaliated with rocket barrages.

Its army has already killed top Hezbollah commanders like Ibrahim Qubaisi, Ibrahim Aqil, Fuad Shukr, Mohammed Nasser and Taleb Abdallah.