The IDF killed Abu Ali Riyan, Hezbollah's 'Radwan Force' commander in southern Lebanon, amid strikes that killed 100 terrorists since the start of renewed hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, the military announced on Thursday afternoon.
"Riyan was the Radwan Force Combat Commander in southern Lebanon. He was the central figure responsible for coordinating operations, recruiting operatives, and managing its weapon supply chain," the IDF said.
The ‘Radwan Force' unit serves as a key military unit and propaganda tool that is responsible for raids on behalf of Hezbollah, according to the IDF.
In strikes overnight on Wednesday in Lebanon, the IDF also killed Ali Muslim Tabaja, a commander of the Iranian Imam Hussein Division - a unit under the IRGC Quds Force. In the same evening, the IDF struck and killed Jihad al-Safira, the Deputy Commander of the Imam Hussein Division, Sager al-Handasa, the division’s UAV officer, and additional senior commanders in the division.
IDF kills Hezbollah, IRGC official in Lebanon
The IDF struck and killed the IRGC’s missile unit operations commander within Hezbollah, Abu Dharr Mohammadi, the military confirmed on Thursday.
According to the military, Mohammadi was a central figure in the coordination between Hezbollah and the IRGC, as well as an authority on Hezbollah’s weapons.
Since the launch of Operation Roaring Lion, the IDF has conducted nearly 200 strikes in its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The military stated that Hezbollah has embedded its terrorist infrastructure within civilian areas in the heart of Beirut and has urged residents to evacuate for their safety.
According to the IDF, some 70 terror targets have been struck in the Beirut area, including the IRGC Air Force headquarters, weapons storage facilities, and rocket launchers.
Additionally, the military has confirmed the death of several key terrorists, including Adham Adnan al-Othman, commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Lebanon; Zaid Ali Juma, Hezbollah artillery commander in southern Lebanon, and five senior commanders in the Lebanon Corps and Palestine Corps of the IRGC’s Quds Force.
Also on Thursday, the IDF said that it had completed a wave of strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure embedded within civilian areas in Beirut and southern Lebanon.,
IDF operations in Lebanon
In addition to air strikes, the military confirmed that the IDF Mountains Brigade has been operating on land in the Mount Dov area along the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Last week, the IDF announced that it had slightly expanded its security zone in southern Lebanon, adding to the five positions that it has held there since the November 2024 ceasefire.
However, the IDF Northern Command said that it was unlikely to initiate a larger ground invasion into Lebanon until the situation with Iran was calmer, if at all.
Rather, its expansion in southern Lebanon was to deter any imminent potential invasion ideas from Hezbollah, not yet invading on a large-scale as it did in September 2024.
IDF warns residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate north
The IDF released an urgent message to residents south of the Zahrani River in Lebanon to evacuate their homes immediately, warning that the IDF would be “acting forcefully” against Hezbollah on Thursday.
“Anyone who is near Hezbollah operatives, facilities, or weapons is putting their life at risk,” the IDF said.
IDF strikes Hezbollah-linked building in Beirut
The IDF struck a building linked to Hezbollah terrorist activities in the Bachoura neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, on Thursday.
The airstrike took place at around 5:30 p.m. and hit the building, which is located around one kilometer away from the Lebanese government's Grand Serail headquarters in downtown Beirut.
Prior to the strike, the IDF issued an urgent evacuation warning to residents that they were near a Hezbollah facility against which it intended to take action.
Shortly after issuing the warning to Beirut residents, the IDF struck the launchers in southern Lebanon that had been used earlier in the day to launch rockets into northern Israel.
Yonah Jeremy Bob and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.