Israel announces the assassination of a Hezbollah member accused of directing missile attacks from Syria

The Israeli army reported on Wednesday, August 6, the assassination of a Hezbollah member named Hussam Qassem Gharab during an airstrike in the Bekaa region of eastern Lebanon, accusing him of directing armed cells in Syria to launch missile fire towards the Golan Heights occupied since 1967.

In a statement from the army: "One of our planes attacked yesterday evening (Tuesday) in the Bekaa region in Lebanon, and eliminated the so-called Hussam Qassem Gharab," confirming his role in coordinating missile attacks from Syrian territory.

The border line between Lebanon and Israel has witnessed ongoing escalation since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023, where Hezbollah launched what it called a "Support Front" to aid Gaza, turning the situation into an open confrontation starting from late September 2024.

Despite the ceasefire agreement reached on November 27, 2024, Israel continued to carry out airstrikes on Lebanese areas, particularly in the south and Bekaa, while maintaining forces in 5 Lebanese heights near the border.

Israel emphasizes preventing the party, supported by Iran, from recovering its military and leadership capabilities after the blows it received during the war, including the assassination of its former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

In a related context, the Lebanese government tasked the army on Tuesday with developing an operational plan to disarm Hezbollah before the end of 2024, amid American pressures and fears of a wide Israeli military campaign in Lebanon, according to "Agence France-Presse".