Israeli Forces Kill Hezbollah Commanders Tied to Rocket Attacks
The IDF launched airstrikes near the Lebanon coastal city of Tyre, killing two senior commanders for Hezbollah. The men involved were Mousa Izz al-Din and Hassan Majid Daib, who allegedly fired 400 rockets into Israel since October. This is considered a major escalation in an already tense conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which recently witnessed increased violence and heightened tensions.
The Airstrike Near Tyre
The IDF describes the airstrike as “a targeted strike” and “hit the Hezbollah’s coastal sector where the commanders operate.” Among them are the main men in charge behind the last series of attacks against the territory of Israel, which the IDF claims have organized such attacks. They are Mousa Izz al-Din, the coastal sector commander, and Hassan Majid Daib, who commands the artillery for Hezbollah.
The two men had headed Hezbollah’s efforts to organize and coordinate the group’s artillery fire, including last Thursday’s assault on Haifa Bay, according to IDF officials. In response to the constant barrage of rockets, the actions of the IDF are framed as acts of self-defense against Hezbollah’s ongoing campaign.
Hezbollah Attacks Escalate; IDF Acts
This comes following a month of rocket attacks on Israel that have made the already heightened security situation in the region even more precarious. Hezbollah’s coastal artillery units, led by Daib, launched unprecedented projectiles toward Israeli territories. The number of rockets is over 400 in the month of October alone. The attacks did not just affect Israel’s northern regions but also escalated fears of an extended conflict across the Lebanese-Israeli border.
Israel has responded with focused airstrikes on Hezbollah installations, but this latest operation specifically targeting high-ranking Hezbollah leaders indicates a shift in policy for the IDF. A focus on leaders in Hezbollah’s military ranks suggests that the IDF has made a concerted effort to dismantle the Hezbollah capability to orchestrate further attacks.
Who Were Mousa Izz al-Din and Hassan Majid Daib?
He has been the commander of the coastal sector of Hezbollah since Mousa Izz al-Din, thereby making him an important actor involved in Hezbollah’s military and activities, especially along the Mediterranean coast of Lebanon. This position made him very aware of strategic artillery installations and offensive actions against Israeli shores. In the last several months, al-Din’s leadership has been central to Hezbollah’s aggressive role in the coastal region: it has coordinated operations from which several attacks have followed on Israeli communities.
Hassan Majid Daib was the commander of artillery in Hezbollah’s coastal sector and had monitored and planned and executed the rocket attack. The role played by the artillery sections under Daib were to carry the brunt in the rocket attacks into Bay Haifa. By pointing their attacks at Daib, the Israelis aimed to render harmless the people responsible for executing the attacks, with their primary role in devising the attacks and managing the campaign. Daib did more than just controlling the artillery since it has been revealed that he would also greatly influence Hezbollah general tactics while planning the operations to launch attacks against Israel.
Regional and international ramifications
The selective IDF attack is going to have important reverberations across Lebanon as well as beyond the regional borders of the Middle East. The killing of key Hezbollah leaders would most likely cause shockwaves into the militaries of Hezbollah, which might thereby decrease Hezbollah’s opportunities for launching further attacks against Israel in the short term. At the same time, this attack may evoke pro-resistance opinion among Hezbollah forces, which might enhance the chance of renewed retaliatory action and may even lead to a more intensified level of trans-border confrontation.
Mixed international reactions to the development came in with some parties urging restraint on both sides and others calling upon Israel to exercise restraint on its part. Israel remained firm on not tolerating threats to its security. The US and European allies have cautiously given support to Israel’s right to defend itself but at the same time urged restraint and caution to avoid escalation that would destabilize the region.
The Way Forward in the Increasing Tensions
For instance, by removing Mousa Izz al-Din and Hassan Majid Daib, this is an important step in the battle never-ending between Israel and Hezbollah. When the Israeli army deranges Hezbollah’s power of action, one doesn’t know if it is unstable in the whole region. This most recent clash showed how sensitive the Lebanon and Israel border has been made and how any act that tries to raise the temperature has the ability to generate war in the real sense.
This has raised urgent questions about the sustainability of peace in the region, as both sides prepare for further possible attacks. For now, decisive action by Israel sent a clear message to Hezbollah: any attack on its territory will be repulsed, and those responsible for it will be held accountable.
