An Israeli airstrike killed three people and wounded thirteen others on Tuesday in the northern town of Ayrouniyeh, in the Zgharta district, according to the Ministry of Health.
The Israeli army said on its Telegram channel that the strike targeted a senior Hamas operative. It identified the individual as Mehran Mustafa Baajour, the head of the planning department within Hamas’ construction division.
This is the first Israeli strike on northern Lebanon since the ceasefire of November 27, 2024.
The second person killed, Omar Zahra, was the owner of a garage. The third is a Syrian national, Ali Hamwi.
Footage circulating online showed a civilian vehicle engulfed in flames and thick black smoke billowing into the sky as bystanders screamed in distress.
In a separate incident near the southern border town of Dhayra, an Israeli drone reportedly dropped a stun grenade.
Earlier on Monday, Hezbollah reportedly placed all its units on maximum alert on Tuesday across all fronts in anticipation of a potential escalation in Israeli strikes, according to security sources cited by al-Hadath news channel.
“Several Hezbollah positions have been evacuated across various areas in southern Lebanon, while some of the group’s senior leaders are said to have stopped using their mobile phones,” indicated the same sources. In addition, families of high-ranking Hezbollah officials have reportedly been discreetly relocating from the South to Beirut.
These measures coincide with the Israeli army claiming responsibility for the killing of two Hezbollah members in drone attacks on Monday.
The Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, stated on X that the first Israeli strike had targeted the Deir Kifa area, killing Ali Abdel Hassan Haidar, a commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.
The Israeli army accused Haidar of orchestrating several attacks against its forces and planning to infiltrate the Galilee. He was reportedly involved in recent efforts to rebuild Hezbollah’s military capabilities in southern Lebanon, which Adraee described as a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Adraee also revealed that another Hezbollah member, whose identity was not disclosed, was killed two hours later in a second raid on Beit Lif.
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