An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed a senior Hezbollah commander on Tuesday, the Iran-backed militant group said.
It named the commander as Sami Abdallah, alias Abu Taleb, born in 1969, in a statement reporting his death “with great pride and great honour”.
A Lebanese military source said the commander was “the most important in Hezbollah to be killed up to now since the start of the war” between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, which has fuelled violence on the Lebanese border.
The source said the strike hit the town of Jouaiyya, 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the Israeli border, and also killed three other people.
Exchanges of fire across the border between Hezbollah and Israeli forces have intensified over recent days.
Clashes around the border have killed at least 458 people in Lebanon, according to an AFP count.
Israeli authorities say at least 15 Israeli soldiers have been killed in that fighting.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced.
