Israeli Drone Strike Kills Hezbollah Commander Abbas Hassan Karaki In Southern Lebanon

In a targeted drone strike on Friday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed Abbas Hassan Karaki, a senior Hezbollah commander and head of logistics for the group’s Southern Front in southern Lebanon. The strike, carried out in the town of Toul near Nabatieh, also injured two other people, Lebanese authorities reported.

According to the IDF, Karaki played a central role in rebuilding Hezbollah’s combat capabilities following last year’s clashes. “He led efforts to restore infrastructure destroyed during previous conflicts, managed the transfer and storage of weapons, and reestablished the organization’s force structure in southern Lebanon,” the military said.

Lebanon’s National News Agency confirmed that Karaki was a Hezbollah official. Reports suggest he was related to Ali Karaki, the former Southern Front chief who was assassinated alongside longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last year.

The strike comes a day after Israel carried out multiple attacks on Hezbollah positions across Lebanon, targeting an arms cache and a training camp. Lebanese authorities reported that four people were killed in those strikes, including an elderly woman.

Israel emphasized that Karaki’s actions violated the ceasefire established on November 27, 2024, which required Hezbollah to withdraw from southern Lebanon. “The IDF will continue to act to remove all threats against the State of Israel,” the military stated, releasing a short clip of the strike.

Later on Friday, the IDF announced the killing of another Hezbollah operative in Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, near Nabatieh, who was also involved in restoring the group’s military capabilities.

The developments signal continued tensions in southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire, with Israel asserting its right to target Hezbollah operatives involved in military preparations.

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