Israel to ‘expand campaign’ in the north, Gallant vows as IDF eliminates senior Hezbollah commander

Israel Defense Forces will “expand the campaign” against Hezbollah on its northern border, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Friday, as the IDF carried out several targeted eliminations of enemy commanders over the past few days.

“Israel is turning from defending to pursuing Hezbollah, we will reach wherever the organization operates, in Beirut, Damascus, and in more distant places,” Gallant said after an assessment at the IDF’s Northern Command.

Following alleged Israeli strikes in Syria that reportedly killed dozens, including a senior Hezbollah commander on Friday morning, the IDF later announced it had eliminated the group’s deputy commander of its rocket and missile unit.

צה״ל תקף וחיסל באמצעות כלי טיס של חיל האוויר מוקדם יותר היום במרחב אל-בזוריה שבלבנון את עלי עבד אלחסן נעים, מחבל חיזבאללה ששימש כסגן מפקד יחידת הרקטות והטילים של ארגון הטרור >> pic.twitter.com/6xOdvDVxki

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 29, 2024

Gallant said he observed the strike against Ali Naim, who was killed in an airstrike while driving his car near al-Bazouriye.

Naim was considered a “significant center of knowledge in the organization, a leader in the field of rockets, and among the pioneers of the strategy of launching heavy rockets,” the IDF said.

“As part of his role he worked to plan and carry out attacks against Israel’s home front,” the army added.

The one who was killed in Al Bazouriye is a senior member of Hezbollah named Ali Naim, also known as Abu Mahdi Al-Afrikai ("Al-Afrikai"), from the village of Salaa. He served as the Deputy Head of Hezbollah's rocket fire array in southern Lebanon. https://t.co/tDk5wkhDsQ pic.twitter.com/VStjw0iHIl

— Israel-Alma (@IsraelAlmaorg) March 29, 2024

“The one responsible for the serious damage in Lebanon is Hezbollah and the one responsible for the many casualties in the Hezbollah group is [Hassan] Nasrallah personally,” Gallant said on Friday.

“They have over 320 killed terrorists, and we will exact a price for any action coming out of Lebanon. Wherever we need to act, we will act,” he vowed.

“Israeli intelligence has been conducting successful operations targeting Hezbollah’s command structures in Lebanon since the beginning of the war,” said Joe Truzman, senior research analyst at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), regarding the strike.

“The strike on Ali Naim not only dealt a blow to the group but also sent a clear message that Israel will retaliate decisively against those who threaten its security,” Truzman added.

Hezbollah and the IDF continued exchanging fire over the weekend, with the Lebanese group claiming responsibility for several attacks, including the launch of a heavy Burkan rocket at an IDF post.

Lebanese media reported on Saturday that the IDF was responsible for a strike that injured four members of UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping mission on the Israel-Lebanon border.

“Contrary to the reports, the IDF did not strike a UNIFIL vehicle in the area of Rmeish this morning,” the Israeli army stated in response.

The car was carrying three UN technical observers and one Lebanese translator when a blast occurred nearby, a source told Reuters.

The blast occurred in a predominantly Christian area, where residents have, on several occasions, prevented Hezbollah from launching attacks on Israel from their towns. Consequently, this region has remained untouched by Israeli airstrikes.

The IDF also announced that fighter jets had struck multiple Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon on Friday and Saturday.

Following rocket launches from Lebanon in the area of Biranit, the IDF struck the responsible rocket launcher quickly with assistance from the 146th Division and the Israeli Air Force.