Hezbollah chief survives Israeli drone strike in Lebanon, terrorist killed

Sunday's alleged attack comes the day after Israel reportedly killed five Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officers in an attack in Syria.

 The remains of a destroyed vehicle hit during an Israeli strike lie on a road near Bazouriye, Lebanon January 20, 2024, as seen in this screen grab taken from a handout video (photo credit: AL JADEED/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
The remains of a destroyed vehicle hit during an Israeli strike lie on a road near Bazouriye, Lebanon January 20, 2024, as seen in this screen grab taken from a handout video
(photo credit: AL JADEED/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

A Hezbollah terrorist from the Lebanese terror organization's VIP and leaders' protection unit was killed in an alleged Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in the village of Kafra in southern Lebanon, local media reported on Sunday.

Local sources from Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath reported that the strike in the village, located some 10 kilometers from the Lebanese border with Israel, failed to kill the main target, who was being secured by the Hezbollah terrorists.

Arabic media named Fadi Suleiman, a senior Hezbollah field commander, as the chief who survived the alleged drone strike. Fadl Suleiman, a reported family member and part of the Hezbollah protection unit, was reportedly killed in the drone strike.

Several other people were also injured in the suspected Israeli strike.

 People gather near the damaged site, that was hit by an Israeli military strike according to sources, in Damascus, Syria January 20, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/FIRAS MAKDESI)
People gather near the damaged site, that was hit by an Israeli military strike according to sources, in Damascus, Syria January 20, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/FIRAS MAKDESI)

Later on Sunday, The IDF struck Hezbollah terror infrastructure in two separate waves of strikes near the Lebanese village of Markaba, the military said.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets, along with IDF tanks, struck a military compound, as well as outposts and launch sites across southern Lebanon. 

Israeli fighter jets strike Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, January 21, 2024 (IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Tehran vows revenge

Tehran vowed on Saturday to take revenge on Israel after the strike, which it said killed five guards and an unspecified number of Syrian troops.

Ambulances and fire trucks gathered around the site of the strike, which had been cordoned off, a Reuters journalist at the scene said. Rescue operations for people stuck under the rubble continued through the day. A crane was in place to hoist concrete slabs off the wreckage.
A security source in a network of groups close to Syria's government and its ally Iran told Reuters the multi-story building was used by Iranian advisers supporting President Bashar al-Assad's government. It was completely flattened by "precision-targeted Israeli missiles," the source said.